Cosmic Dare
by Galadri
Summary: Chapter 21. Another day dawns a new challenge. At last, Julia makes an appearance. Don't hate me.
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Cowboy Bebop. But if I did, Spike would overcome his obsession with Julia and love me. And Ed would speak in complete sentences and wear a bra. And shoes. And jeans. In fact, I might make Ed normal the longer this continues...

* * *

The sun was shining brightly on Mars as Tilly walked out of the market, a full bag of groceries under her arm. As she crossed the street, the heels of her boots clicked on the cement. Being a denim kind of gal, she was comfortable in close fitting boot cut jeans and a pale blue paisley shirt under a long coat that works in function as opposed to fashion, covering the guns on her hips, just as the boots hid her favorite knife. She had her long chestnut hair pulled back in a low bun today, a change from its usual loose state.

As she hopped up onto the curb, she noticed a man in a blue suit leaning against a building, reading a paper. While this wouldn't normally be an unusual sight, all her alarms went off as she noticed the paper was upside down and there was a small pile of butts on the ground beside him.

_Damn,_ she thought. _He's watching me._

The biggest tip-off was the fact that he never looked up as she walked past. He just kept staring at his upside down paper.

Tilly turned as casually as possible down the nearest alley and crouched quickly into a doorway, setting her groceries down. She held her breath, waiting for the inevitable footsteps, and when they came she reached out like lightening and grabbed hold of a collar. His hand clamped onto her shoulder and she saw the other swinging up toward her face. She grabbed him by the wrist and used the full force of her body to throw him into the wall. He released her with a grunt and she jumped back, not surprised to see her adversary was the man in blue. He smiled and pushed away from the wall as she took another step back crouching into a fighting stance.

"You're faster than you look," he drawled. Tilly just watched him, waiting for his next move. "Come on," he smirks. "If you're not gonna have a sense of humor about this, it'll be no fun bringing you in."

Her eyes narrowed at this. Before she could stop herself, she heard herself saying "Shit. You're a cowboy."

"Come on, Tilly," he stepped toward her, but she just stepped back, ready to spring.

"How do you know my name?"

"It's on the bounty. Funny," he smiled. "Just that- 'Tilly.' Nothing more." He took another step forward. "Now, we can do this easy, or we can do this-"

Before he could say another word she let loose a spin kick to his gut followed by an uppercut to the jaw. He recovered quickly as he staggered back, and deftly parried her next assault. She tried some kicks and punches, landing few as he blocked her attack. His fighting style seemed vaguely familiar, but she pushed the thought away as she ducked a roundhouse kick.

"I love a woman who can kick my ass," he said between blows.

"Then you should adore me," she growled as she dropped into a low stance then pushed up to slam both fists into the soft spot below his ribcage.

The stranger fell back onto the ground, winded. Tilly turned and picked up her groceries. She got only two steps before she heard the unmistakable sound of a safety being removed at her ear. With a sigh she raised an eyebrow and turned her head.

The nails wrapped around the gun were shell pink, and at the end of the arm was a woman about Tilly's age dressed in a skimpy yellow outfit and a pointless red jacket. The outfit was completed with cheap looking white boots.

_Why bother getting dressed?_ She sneered at the ridiculous outfit.

"Where do you think you're going, honey?" the poorly dressed woman asked with a smug smile.

"I _was_ going home. But first I think I'll stop and pick you up an outfit that actually performs the normal function of clothes."

"Better watch out, there," came a voice from behind Tilly. She turned to see the man in blue pulling himself up off the ground. "Faye's touchy about her wardrobe."

Tilly smirked in derision and turned slowly back toward Faye.

"You mean lack thereof, don't you?"

"That does it," she snarled and pulled the trigger. Having anticipated her reaction to the remark, Tilly shoved her bag into the gun, sending the bullet through her newly purchased box of Cap'n Crunch. A right cross followed by a kick across the face took Faye out of the equation and Tilly turned to face the man. He merely smiled and pulled out a cigarette, leaning back against the doorway. As he lit up he surveyed Tilly's form, and then looked past her.

"About time you got here."

Tilly raised her eyebrow n disbelief, but her eyes widened as the shadow of someone behind her moved in to cover her own.

"Traffic," said a gruff voice.

She began to turn, ready to face her new assailant, when a pain at the base of her skull sent the world into shades of white, grey and then black. The last thing she heard was the man in blue.

"Don't let her fall."


	2. Chapter 2

DISCLAIMER: Once again Spike ain't mine. Oh that he and Vicious were. Picture it... hot tub, bubbles, champagne and just the three of us. Aww shuckey duckey.

* * *

Sounds slowly filtered through the thick fog clouding Tilly's brain.

"Can't I just shoot her?" a woman's voice whined.

"Faye, that's not the way we do things," a gruff voice answered.

"Jet's right," another man said.

_The man in blue._

"Huh!" Jet and Faye exclaimed, amazed.

"She's no good to us dead. The bounty said 12 million alive." Tilly heard the one called Jet laughing as Faye sighed in disgust. "Besides," the man continued, "She can lead us to others in the Syndicate. Bigger fish, bigger money." Tilly could almost hear the smug smile in his voice. Slowly she opened her eyes, blinking in shock as a virtual forest of bonsai trees came into focus.

"Or we can just shoot her," Faye repeated.

"Spike's right," Jet ground out. "We should see what information she can give us before we turn her in."

"I still say we shoot her."

"No, Faye!" both men shouted.

"She lives and she stays," her eyes widened. "For now."

Turning her head, Tilly took a good look around. When she tried to shift her body, Tilly realized her hands were cuffed to a pipe above her head. Her feet were similarly cuffed.

_They must think I'm a real dangerous girl._

Outside the door Tilly heard footsteps approaching. She turned her head, wincing as pain shot throughout her body, and not all the injuries were familiar. Faye must have been really pissed. The door opened and the man in the suit stepped through, the guy called Spike.

"How are you feeling?" he asked with a smile.

"Like I got hit by a big rig," Tilly ground out. He chuckled.

"Not far off. Jet packs a wallop." He pulled a cigarette from a pack and stuck it in his mouth.

"How long was I out?" she asked, rolling a shoulder to stretch it out.

"About three hours," he said casually as he lit up. Tilly's eyes flew open in horror.

"I need to make a call."

"Sorry," he replied, leaning back against the wall. "I'm a bounty hunter, not the county jail."

Shaking her head in frustration, and mild panic, Tilly struggled to sit up straighter. "You don't understand. Turn me in, I don't care. You won't get any money anyway. But I _have_ to call home."

"Why?" he asked. Tilly could tell Spike was as curious about her need to call home as he was about the money.

_Suffer, pal,_ she thought. Taking a deep breath, however, she released a long, heavy sigh as she tried to put the right words together. "I need to ask my mother to get over to my house and make sure the kids are okay."

"Kids?" Spike pushed himself away from the wall and walked over to crouch in front of Tilly. "You have kids?" His voice was disbelieving, yet soft. She stared up into his eyes, surprised by his interest, but a little relieved to discover he possessed a compassionate side.

"Yes," she answered slowly. "Twins. My niece and nephew, sort of. Just turned three last winter."

He tilted his head and smiled that obnoxious grin of his. "Who's the mother?"

Tilly's eyes narrowed. "An old friend of mine."

He waited for her to say more, but she merely met his gaze. "Is she Syndicate, too?"

Tilly took in a sharp breath, clenching her teeth in anger. She raised an eyebrow in disdain, hating this man who sneered at her. "_I_ am _not_ Syndicate," she hissed. As Spike opened his mouth to speak she cut him off, continuing. "Yes, I have, on occasion, done a job for them, but I work freelance. To answer your poorly phrased question, though, yes, _she_ is." Tilly's anger left her suddenly as she thought of her friend. "She's in deep. Too deep for kids, so I took them. I rarely work, so they have a stable, safe life with me." Tilly looked up to see Spike watching her, considering her. She found herself becoming lost in his eyes for a second, astonished at the tenderness she saw there.

_I'll bet he's a great kisser,_ she thought. Quickly she banished the imaginary sensation of his mouth on hers. "I want to make sure they're okay. That's all. Please."

He stared into her eyes for a moment longer, trying to read her. Tilly's heart pounded in her throat. She was positive he was going to say no. "Okay," he nodded, and uncuffed her hands and feet. Helping Tilly to stand, he steadied her when she almost fell due to the pins and needles in her fingers and toes.

"You okay?"

Tilly nodded, breaking the burning contact with him as quickly as possible. Spike frowned a little, but turned and walked out into the corridor, waiting at he door for Tilly to follow him. He led her past a surprised Jet and scowling Faye into a large sitting room, where he guided her to the couch taking a seat beside her.

"Hey, Ed," he called.

A red patch of hair suddenly appeared between Tilly's legs from beneath the couch. She yelped in shock and pulled her feet up onto the couch, falling into Spike's lap in the process.

"YES!" the kid shouted, wriggling out like a snake from beneath the sofa.

"I need you to make a call," Spike returned, a smug grin once again on his face as he helped Tilly to sit upright. Ed danced around the room, cart wheeling and somersaulting, finally flopping down in front of the monitor.

"Is he okay?" Tilly asked a little scared of the gurgling and whizzing noises the kid was making. Spike threw his head back and laughed.

"She, actually. She's fine." He turned to Ed, ignoring Tilly's shocked expression. "Ed, find the number for Tilly's mother. Make the call."

Tilly chewed her lower lip, saying nothing. She knew the search would fail. She had paid too much for it to succeed. Ed sang some nonsensical lyrics as she tapped away on the keyboard. After a few moments of silence, though she squealed and screamed as though in pain causing both Spike and Tilly to jump.

"Awwww! The Tilly bounty has no mother person!" Ed fell backward onto the ground, kicking her legs into the air in frustration. "No mother person! No last name! Only Tilly!"

Spike turned his head and leveled a hard stare at Tilly. She winced and bit her lip again, her fingers nervously scratching at the hollow of her throat. After a moment or so Tilly cleared her throat and spoke up.

"She's right. It cost a lot of money, but you won't find any history of me on any database."

"Okay, then," Spike said, clearly pissed. "Give Ed the number. This better be for real."

Tilly gave Ed the number from memory and tried her best not to be intimidated by Spike's stare. Ed tapped a few more keys and the screen came to life as Tilly's mother answered the line.

"Tilly! Where are you? What's going on? The kids called and said you hadn't come back from the market-"

"Mother!" Tilly broke in. "I'm fine, but there's a small problem... Something's come up. I need you to-"

"Oh my God!" she cut Tilly off. "Spike!"


	3. Chapter 3

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the Bebop. I need chocolate. That is all.

A/N: Sorry about the excess of dialogue, but anyone who knows the Bebop 'verse knows the actions. I don't have to block the scene. Feel your way through it. Msg me with anything, but don't hate the playa.

* * *

Tilly's eyes opened wider. Slowly she turned her body to look at Spike. His eyes were glued to the screen as his jaw hung open in shock.

"Anastasia," he whispered.

Annie's face grew hard and her eyes narrowed. "I told you never to call me that!" she hissed. "What do you think you're doing coming back here? And what is Tilly doing with you?"

Spike turned his head, meeting Tilly's gaze. Unconsciously he began to search for Annie in her features. This pushed a button somewhere inside Tilly, and her own temper showed itself.

"Spike? Spike Spiegel?" She stood and quickly backed away from Spike. On the landing above the couch Jet and Faye watched silently, having run in when Ed screamed earlier. Ed scooted back, away from the table, also quiet. "You're _that _Spike?"

Spike narrowed his eyes and leaned back, watching Tilly carefully. "What's it to you?"

"Tilly!" Annie shouts. "Just tell me what's going on!"

Slowly Tilly pulled her eyes from Spike's glare and returned her attention to the screen where Annie was waiting, looking panicked.

"Simple, Mom. Your Mr. Spiegel and his friends are bounty hunters. They caught me."

"Spike," Annie looks thoroughly horrified. "Don't turn her in. Especially not you. You'll never see the money, and she'll just-"

"Mother!"

Silence fell over the room as Annie buried her face in her hands. Even Ed didn't dare move. After a moment Tilly spoke through clenched teeth, her eyes on the ground.

"Mom, go to my house. Get the kids, after you get back home, make the call." She looked up to Annie, stopping her from speaking with a gesture. "Tell him a cowboy got me, and I'll be brought in at dawn. Have someone waiting on the stairs with the money. Cash, no tricks, to be opened in my presence." Against her will, Tilly's eyes moved across the room to lock onto Spike who stared back coldly. "Call back when you get his answer."

"I already have the kids. They called me-"

"Good then," she turned back to the screen. "Make the call then."

Tilly closed the connection before Annie could protest and physically turned to look up at Jet and Faye before dropping her gaze to Spike. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Jet, can you take me down to the surface? You can pick up the cash and be back in an hour."

"Tilly." Spike whispered her name so softly she almost didn't hear him. The anger beneath his calm voice was unmistakable, though. "What's going on?"

They stared at each other for a few moments, locked in a silent battle of wills, before she break eye contact and turned up to Jet.

"Got anything to eat?"

"Tilly!" Spike grabbed her wrist, pulling her toward him.

"Don't you touch me, Spiegel!" She slapped his hand away, her temper now full blown. "I don't owe you a goddamn thing, least of all an explanation! I'm just a bounty to you! 12 million woolong to line your pockets and fill your belly!"

She had steadily been backing away from him, but now Spike, moving faster than she would have thought possible, was suddenly towering before her. He slid his fingers roughly into her hair, flicking away the realization that it felt like silk, and grabbed a fistful of hair, forcing her head back. Forcing her to meet his eye, unable to back up or look away.

"Yes," he spoke quietly, his voice cold as steel. "You started as a bounty, but you're Annie's." He gave her head a rough shake, almost involuntarily. "You know I won't turn you in. I want answers, Tilly. I want to know what the hell is going on, and I want to know your full name."

Tilly's eyes shut against the pain, unwanted tears flowing down her cheeks. She couldn't wrap your head around this last part. The request was so random, it made no sense. Forcing her eyes open, Tilly realized that one of Spike's eyes was slightly darker brown than the other.

"My name?"

Spike simply stared into her eyes. He loosened his grip on her hair, but didn't release her. She became vaguely aware of the fact that his other hand was wrapped around her wrist again, locking her in place before him. She began to drown in the depths of his eyes.

"Anatalia Yenrai Vicious."

Spike's eyes opened wide in surprise and Tilly could hear Jet and Faye gasp in shock behind her. She cut her eyes to the side, trying to look at them, but her gaze refused to leave Spike's eyes for long. Suddenly she felt drained of all energy; the fight and strength left her tired body. Sighing deeply, she knew she was no longer a bounty. Somehow she had no doubt that Spike meant what he said. He wouldn't turn her in, and he wasn't going to let her leave without answers. She stepped back, tentatively, to see if he would let her. When Spike made no motion to stop her, Tilly sank backward onto the couch, too tired to stand.

"I was born Anatalia Yenrai Karev. I was called Yenrai after my godfather. When I was seventeen, I was married in proxy."

"Proxy?" Faye asked, leaning forward onto the rail.

"It's where we sign the papers, but don't actually get together to do it. It was arranged. I didn't even meet my husband on my wedding day. It was the agreement. A young man in my godfather's... company wanted to move ahead. Mao felt that he and I would be a good match. My father objected, but Mao brought Annie around to his side, and so my father relented. He insisted, though, that I be allowed to wait until I was old enough before I... go to my husband." Tilly inhaled deeply, working through the momentary nausea. "I had hoped Vicious would want nothing to do with me until he had no other choice, but Mao felt that if we spent the occasional day together it would be easier for me when I finally took up my wifely duties." Tilly grimaced at the thought, and Spike, unnoticed by her, clenched his fists, his hatred for Vicious rearing a new head.

Spike slowly lowered himself onto the table, facing away from everyone. Jet, Ed and Faye stared at Tilly, waiting for her to continue.

"Things were fine for a few years. I lived my life, he had some woman he was seeing," Spike stiffened at this, but Tilly chose to ignore it. "Vicious and I would spend a day together every couple weeks or so. It was fine. After about three years, though, right after I turned 20, Vicious showed up at my father's house. It was the middle of the night and... He was..." Tilly trailed off as the memory of his appearance that night pushed its way past the careful walls she had set up in her mind. His eyes had almost glowed with rage and his hair was plastered to his head and face from the rain. He had stood there, the occasional flash of lightening the only light in the room as the wind blew in from behind him, through the open kitchen door.

"He was not himself. So angry... distant. He just went on and on about betrayal and the fickle nature of woman. He accused me, _me!_, of having a lover. He had his woman and _I_ was the one having an affair." Tilly had stood and begun angrily pacing the room, her indignation rolling off her in waves. "Nothing I could say would calm him down." Her voice broke and she halted. She began trembling as the anger built to higher levels.

"Did he rape you?" Spike asked in a quiet voice, keeping his gaze on his hands. Tilly stared at his back, wishing she knew what he was thinking.

"No." She lifted her chin, squaring her shoulders. Her voice held no pride or boast as she continued. "He wouldn't be alive now if he had."

"Your father?"

"Or me. I learned from the best." Sighing, Tilly resumed her seat on the couch. "No, he didn't rape me. He couldn't afford to be proved wrong. He just beat the hell out of me. I let him." She shook her head, disgusted at herself. Above her, Faye snorted in derision. Tilly leaned her head back and glared at her before returning her eyes to Spike's form.

"I would have lost anyway. It was easier to just tuck my chin and take it. I disappeared that night. Only my father knew where I was, but I kept in touch with Annie. After a few weeks Annie had news for me. She told me all about you, Spike."

Spike turned at this to face Tilly, his eyes a turbulent sea of pain, guilt, regret and anger.

"Yes," she continued, venom in her voice now. "She told me everything. She told me all about Vicious and Julia, though I already knew that part. And you, the unknown factor." Tilly shook her head, her mood swinging again from anger to despair. "I just stayed hidden. After a few months Annie told me Vicious was looking everywhere for me, which made working a challenge. A few months after that I was given the twins to care for, and I stayed out of the game as much as I could. I've managed to stay below the Syndicate radar for over three years now."

"Until that bounty," Jet murmured, almost to himself.


	4. Chapter 4

DISCLAIMER: Yadda yadda. Spike's not mine. More's the pity.

* * *

Tilly turned from Jet, nodding at the truth of his statement, back to Spike. His eyes were a sea of conflicting emotions and she couldn't help thinking that he was probably usually more controlled than this. She couldn't face what she saw, however, and dropped her eyes under his gaze to stare down at her hands.

"Yes," She said softly. "The bounty." Tilly laid her head onto the back of the couch, looking up to Jet again. "It's him, you know. Vicious. He put out the bounty."

Jet and Faye looked surprised.

"That must have cost him quite a bundle to pull off," Jet said, deep in thought.

Tilly gave a weak smile. "I'm sure it did. Once Annie calls you'll be taking me to Vicious."

"No."

Spike hadn't taken his eyes off Tilly, almost as though he was trying to look right through her. Slowly she lowered her head to face him, not bothering to hide her sadness or fear.

"Yes, Spike."

Overhead the ceiling-fan turned slowly, barely stirring a breeze. The low hum of the motor was the only sound, soon covered by Spike's footsteps as he made his way around the table toward Tilly. She stood quickly and held up a hand to halt his progress. He had moved so quickly, though, that she wound up pressing her palm to his chest, physically stopping him. He wrapped his fingers around her wrist, a reflex, and began to speak.

"Yes, Spike," she repeated quickly. "I'm going. By now, even without her call,

Vicious knows Annie has the twins. She's never taken them before. He'll know something's up."

Spike released her reluctantly and stepped back flopping down onto the couch and lighting a cigarette.

"I have to think of Annie... and my children. Vicious knows I would do anything to protect those kids."

Spike's eyes narrowed, but he refused to look at Tilly. "Whatever you want. I don't care."

Everyone knew otherwise, but Tilly was confused by his reasons. She started to say something to try and reassure Spike, not sure what she would say, when the screen bleeped with an incoming call. Ed reached out slowly, watching Spike for any sign of a temper. Quickly she pressed a button and the monitor came to life with Annie's concerned face.

"Okay, it's on. I still think it's a bad idea."

"Join the club," Spike muttered.

Annie's brow furrowed even further. "Don't get killed, please- any of you." This last was said with a pointed look at Spike but he simply crossed his arms in front of his chest, sulking.

"Good job, mom," Tilly said, watching Spike. Rolling her eyes she turned to face the others. "Okay, Faye- Jet. Who's taking me in?"

"Me." Spike bit out sounding angry and determined. Tilly could tell he was planning something.

"No, Spike. If Vicious even has a passing notion that I've been anywhere near you, I can kiss breathing goodbye."

"And if he sees me, he'll know that Spike's somewhere around," Faye chimed.

"I guess that just leaves me," Jet sighed, his voice weary.

"Good," Tilly nodded. "Get some sleep. It's hours till dawn."

Jet and Faye left for their own rooms, and Spike stalked off toward the kitchen.

* * *

** Dawn **

The sun was just breaking over the horizon as Jet lowered his Hammerhead onto the ground. He climbed out first, turning back to help Tilly down. Looking up they both saw the Red Dragon headquarters, a tall, imposing building. The sight of it set Tilly's heart fluttering with fear. At the bottom of the stairs were two men standing, waiting. Two very familiar faces.

"Hello, Tilly." The silver-haired man smiled a cruel smile. "It's been a long time."

Tilly crossed over to stand directly in front of Vicious, Jet following behind her, silent.

"Hello, Vicious. Yes, it has been a while." She looked over to his companion and nodded. "Hello, Shin. Always a pleasure to see you."

Shin only nodded in response, and Tilly noticed he was holding a briefcase.

"Open it," She said gravely.

"Right here?" Vicious asked as his malicious grin deepened.

"Yes," she replied.

"Why should you care whether or not this bounty hunter gets his money?"

"He let me contact Annie so she could look after the children. I merely want to repay him for that kindness."

Shin looked over to Vicious who nodded his assent. Turning to face Tilly and Jet, Shin opened the case using his arm as a table. Tilly stepped forward and moved some of the cash aside, checking the lining of the case as well as the cash for any traps or tricks. Finding nothing she stepped back and Shin closed the case. Jet reached around Tilly and took the case, turned toward his ship with a silent look back to Tilly, and left. The look spoke volumes. We'll wait to hear from you.

Tilly felt her fear catch in her throat as she watched Jet take off. She stared at the sky long after the ship disappeared from sight, not moving, delaying what was coming.

"Come, Tilly," Vicious said softly. "I'll take you to your rooms."

Tilly turned, her posture erect, and followed Vicious inside, hoping Annie got her instructions right.


	5. Chapter 5

DISCLAIMER: Consider this chapter disclaimed.

* * *

The tall building was not only a business center for the Syndicate but apartments for those who chose not to live elsewhere. Mostly the big dogs and single footmen took advantage of the building's living quarters, the higher ups for the protection and the young soldiers to save money. Vicious led Tilly across the lobby toward the elevators, Shin breaking away to speak with some of the men standing around a large security desk. Tilly glanced back briefly at him before following Vicious into the lift.

Neither spoke a word as the elevator rose. They both stared straight ahead, losing themselves in their own thoughts. Tilly's nerves were stretched thin, about to snap when a soft buzz signaled their arrival. The door opened and Tilly looked to Vicious who smirked and motioned for her to step out first. Tilly exited the elevator but stepped aside immediately for Vicious to take the lead. He led her down a small hallway and Tilly soon noticed there were only three doors on this floor. Vicious walked straight to the door at the end of the hall.

"This will be your apartment," he said in a bored voice. "It _can_ lock from the inside, but I have the only key to the door." He crossed the dark room and turned on a lamp. An astonished gasp escaped Tilly, and vicious drank in her appreciation. The room was simply beautiful. The walls were winter white with bold paintings of landscapes and ethereal dancers. The furniture was a mixture of modern lines and classic comfort, mixing plain cushions with dark wood. Everything was clean and plush with a comfortable feel, leaving Vicious looking horribly out of place in so… domestic a room.

"The door over there," he motioned to a dark doorway. "Leads to the bedroom. The bathroom is just beyond. We'll dine in my suite tonight."

Tilly turned back to him as he strode toward the door. He called back to her over his shoulder.

"There's a dress laid out for you on the bed. I hope it fits." Vicious flashed an arrogant smile and pulled the door closed.

Tilly stared at the door a moment in disbelief, and then exhaled a shaky breath. She sank onto the couch and looked around, suddenly wishing she was back on the Bebop, and then immediately pushed that thought away in favor of being in a park with the kids.

From the dining area the scent of wildflowers and roses calmed her and she rose to check out the bedroom.

When she flipped the light switch she saw it. The dress was laid across the foot of the bed - a deep russet gown with a low back and full, long skirt. She approached the bed and noticed detailed beading. Tasteful and probably heavy, the beading would ensure the dress draped properly.

A sudden yawn left Tilly feeling completely exhausted and she crawled onto the bed, careful not to wrinkle the dress, to fall asleep almost before her head hit the pillow.

"Wake up, Tilly."

She inhaled deeply and stretched, rolling onto her back. Slowly she opened her eyes and a face came into focus. Smiling, she closed her eyes again and yawned.

"Hello, Shin," she squeaked through the yawn. Shin smiled, chuckling at Tilly.

"Hey there, sleepy." He stood from where he'd been sitting, at the foot of the bed, and tucked his hands into his pockets. "Time to get up. Dinner's in half an hour."

Tilly grimaced at the thought and sat up with reluctance. She hated knowing Shin only came for Vicious.

"Thanks," she grumbled and slid off the bed to stand and face Shin. "You're too good to be with these people, Shin." She called over her shoulder as she walked past him into the bathroom. "You're too good for him. You should be married with fat babies."

Tilly turned on the water and smiled softly in the mirror at Shin, at the thought of him surrounded by a dozen kids. Shin stared back at her, eyes open wide in surprise, telling her something she refused to see. Their eyes locked for a moment and Tilly become serious again.

"You should have stayed far away from the Syndicate. You were never cold enough to hurt people. You weren't meant to kill." He dropped his gaze and leaned against the door.

"Not like Vicious or Lin, you mean." He stared down at his feet. Tilly frowned in compassion. "Or Spike."

"Or me," she replied softly. Shin grunted in surprise and looked up at her, an odd look on his face. He started to speak but a communicator in his pocket buzzed, cutting him off. He answered, still watching Tilly as she started to wash her face, breathing a relieved sigh.

"Yes? Yes, she's awake." She could hear him move away into the living room. "No, I just woke her. I told her. Alright. Not yet." He was silent for a moment and Tilly strained to hear over the water. "Are you sure? I understand. Fine, right away."

The conversation seemed to be over and Tilly turned off the water and dried her face. She followed Shin into the living room and was surprised to see the angry expression on his face.

"Shin?" He looked over to her but she couldn't read him. Fear was mixed with anger. He looked hurt and confused, as though he felt betrayed.

"Dinner is in ten minutes. Vicious expects you to be prompt." With that, he stalked out the door without another word.

Tilly sighed, frustrated that a sigh was her only response lately, and walked back into the bedroom. Stripping quickly she returned to the bathroom and stared at herself in the mirror, trying to decide on makeup. She smirked as she realized that wearing nothing would annoy Vicious and she left the bathroom, deciding to go without.

Back at the bed she pulled the dress on, the silk sliding like hands over her skin. Unbidden, Spike's face appeared before her. His eyes burned in her mind as she pulled up the zipper, his words echoed in her ears.

_"You know I can't turn you in."_

She knew logically that he had only said that because of Annie, but something in his look, in the _way _he said it, told her he meant something more.

She crossed the bedroom to a full-length mirror and let her hair down from its thoroughly decimated bun. Long, loose curls fell down her back, the longest strands just above her waist. Working some body into the waves, she could almost feel Spike's fingers in her hair. Tilly stared at her reflection for a moment, wondering why he haunted her now. With a sigh she checked her watch. With all her daydreaming nearly fifteen minutes had passed.

_Let him wait_, she thought pulling on some shoes that had been sitting under the dress. With a last look in the mirror she turned away to keep her date, knowing it unwise to tempt Vicious's patience.

Tilly knocked on his door gently, hoping against hope that he had forgotten, and it opened silently. She found herself looking up into Vicious's eyes and she instantly knew that he had spoken to Annie.

**

* * *

Last night on the Bebop**

"Did you set up everything, mom? Honestly?"

Annie's eyes hardened in indignation. "Of course I did. Is that all you called for?"

"No," Tilly answered, checking over her shoulder and motioning to Annie to be quiet. "I also called to see how the kids are. And to ask a favor." Tilly chewed her lower lip. "How are they?"

Annie sighed and looked over her shoulder to a closed door. "They're okay. Sleeping now, poor kids. They miss you."

Tilly felt the tears threatening. "I know mom. I miss them too. It's killing me to have to leave them like this. It's the only way to keep them safe." Annie snorted.

"Bull, Tilly. You know there's another way. You could come get them and leave with Spike. He'd look after you and-"

"No, mom." Tilly cut in to stop that train of thought. "There'd be no guarantee of their safety and what would happen if _she _came looking for them? How would I be able to explain why we took off, and why we left with _him_? No go, mom. Their safety has to be my first priority." Annie snorted again in derision.

"A lot of good your 'priorities' do you if Vicious has you."

Leaning back now, Tilly smiled coldly. At the sight of that expression Annie got nervous.

"That's why I called, mom. And that's where the favor comes in." Annie's expression was thoroughly lost. "I want you to make another call tomorrow. Once Spike calls to tell you Jet's back, he's gonna probably try to concoct some plan with you. Let him rant, but don't let him do anything. And once you're done with him, call Vicious."

Tilly had thought it impossible, but Annie became even more confused. "Huh?" she grunted.

"Call Vicious and let slip that I've been with Spike. That _he _caught me. Make it sound like you'll trade info for my safety or something. I don't care how you do it, but make sure he knows Spike caught me, and that I came on my own." Annie couldn't process this.

"Why? He'll kill you once he finds out."

"Maybe," Tilly responded flatly. "But if Vicious knows, the Shin knows, and that means I have a get out of jail free card."

"What are you planning, Tilly?"

"To get off Mars with those kids. Lin's wife is free of the Syndicate. They had that farm on New Texas. I'll drop the kids with her. They'll be safe and be able to run and play."

"You're leaving with Spike after all?"

"I'll leave with a circus if I have to. I only want the kids to be safe." Annie was obviously unhappy, but Tilly saw she finally understood what was going on. Annie stared down at her hands as if searching for answers.

"I'll do it."

"Good," Tilly nodded. "I'll come for the children the day after tomorrow. Have them ready."

**

* * *

**

** The Present **

"Good evening, Tilly. Won't you come in?" Vicious stepped back to allow Tilly to enter the room, hiding his reaction to her. Even without makeup she was still beautiful, her distinct scent of fresh rain and wildflowers reaching him, calling to him, as she stepped into the room. Red walls and wooden furniture suited both the mood and Vicious's personality.

"You look lovely, Tilly." Her name sounded like a poisoned seduction on his lips, tempting and deadly. "Good enough to eat." The door latched shut on his last words and Tilly turned to face him, head held high and eyebrow arched.

"Thank you, Vicious. I see you chose not to dress for dinner. Nice scarf."

A smile played across his lips as Vicious pulled the scarf from around his neck and draped it over Tilly's head to rest around her neck. He stepped forward, closing the remaining distance between them, and Tilly was forced to lean her head back to meet his eye. His breath caught as the light played off the soft skin of her throat.

"I'm glad you like it," he murmured. "It's the one you left with me." Tilly's eyes softened.

"That was a good day." He stepped closer, pressing his body lightly against hers, forcing her to lean her head back even further.

"I always enjoyed our days together." Tilly couldn't read his expression, but she could feel that her eyes betrayed her. She turned away quickly, confused by the feelings she thought she had long since gotten over. Her head dropped and she noticed for the first time that Vicious still held the ends of the scarf. Slowly the silk pulled gently at her throat and she raised your head again, nervous about what he might do. The tension became stronger and her eyes widened as fear built in her stomach. The silk continued to pull but Tilly remained still, waiting.


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay, all. The lemon was the most requested. I only had one plea for a non-lemon, but I'm afraid that one lost. Fortunately, I hate chapters that are pure smut, so if you don't wanna read the lemon bit, just skip down until you see the line "She fainted." Then start reading. :-D**

**DISCLAIMER: I, the monkey Queen of Tut-n-farten do not own Spike, Lin, Shin or Vicious. I wish I did 'cause hot damn. I also don't own Atton Rand or Carth Onasi, but I reserve the right to have lewd and lascivious thoughts about them as well (big wave to all the KOTOR fans out there!)**

* * *

The silk was tight around her neck, but not choking – not yet. Tilly stayed perfectly still waiting to see what Vicious would do. She felt him close the distance between them, the length of his body pressed against her back. The scarf fell away to the left and she raised her right hand to the silk as Vicious slid his hand along her ribcage and around her waist to rest spanned the length of her torso.

"Sing for me, Tilly."

Everything she had once felt for Vicious, everything she thought she had buried, came rushing back. She tilted her head back and moved your body slightly, her mouth seeking his, her hands gripping his wrists. His kiss, demanding yet tender, banished any hesitation she may have felt. His mouth teased, his whispers commanded and her body begged for more. All tension disappeared from her body and he took advantage, turning her physically to face him. His left arm kept its position around her waist, steadying Tilly against him as a short moan of pleasure escaped him at her sigh. Scarf still in hand, Vicious' fingers worked their way up her neck to grab a fistful of hair. Tilly opened to him, ready to drown in his kiss.

Vicious found himself wondering why he had taken so long to claim her. Tilly was sweeter than he had ever imagined. Her response to him set his blood on fire.

"Tilly," he whispered against her mouth, almost begging.

"Vicious."

His right hand slid down her neck through your hair and she Vicious' left hand tighten its grip her waist as his right continued its descent along her spine, taking the zipper down with it. He released Tilly only long enough to let the dress fall to the floor before grabbing her by the hips and forcing your head back so his mouth could trail kisses down her throat.

Tilly's eyes closed as Vicious took a nipple in his mouth and she trembled as a small moan escaped her. He teased at it with heat and tongue, gently pulling with his teeth. Her breathing deepened causing her chest to rise and fall, strengthening the sensations of his mouth on her, and her hips pressed into his groin of their own accord. A light nibble on the soft underside of her breast caused her to gasp.

"Vicious."

He broke contact and forcefully turned her away from him once again. He pulled Tilly's lithe form close against his body, one arm clasped tightly around her waist to steady her for his coming onslaught. His free hand began to tease at her previously neglected nipple and his mouth began to work on her earlobe and neck. These sensations, all so new to Tilly, were so strong she found herself leaning back against him for support.

Vicious smiled as her body responded to his demands. The hand grasping her waist loosened and his fingertips played along the soft skin just below her navel.

"Kiss me, Tilly."

She tilted her head back, eager to comply. As his mouth met hers she kicked her shoes off, losing two inches, to keep from falling over. She could feel the power in his body as Vicious followed her down, not breaking contact. His arm tightened once more around her waist and the other left her breasts and slowly... so... slowly... moved down her body only to stop a mere inch from its goal. Tilly moaned softly into his mouth, pleading, but he did nothing.

"Please, Vicious."

Still he did not move, only continued to nibble and tease her mouth. She whimpered and pressed your hips back into his groin again, feeling how hard he had become at her response. With a deep chuckle Vicious allowed himself to please her.

Tilly gasped and arched her back as he ran a finger along her lower lips to gently play against her clitoris. Vicious broke the kiss and devoted his attention to her neck once more. Thumb and middle finger settled in on either side of her delicate nub and began a friction so gentle, yet demanding, that Tilly began to tremble. He quickened the pace and her hips began to rock of their own volition. Tilly's rational mind peeked through long enough to realize that she would have fallen to the floor by now if he weren't holding her up, but her body craved more.

Deep within her the feeling of emptiness threatened to drown the pleasure. She rocked her hips and groaned, seeking penetration. He laughed softly and obliged.

Two fingers entered her deeply, and she cried out as the pain/pleasure almost sent her over the edge. Panting now she wrapped one leg back around his, giving Vicious free access as his fingers begin a deep rhythm... faster... harder. Suddenly she could feel it. It came and spread through her.

Tilly arched her back, screaming his name, and her hips ground down onto his hand as his fingers continued to stroke deep within her, forcing her to ride the sensations to their finish. As it ended, slowly ebbing away, her body ceased to move and his fingers gently left her. Her body continued to tremble.

"Tilly," he whispered and pressed a long, soft kiss to her lips.

Tilly's body suddenly went limp and only Vicious' hold kept her from falling to the floor. For a panicked moment he thought she was dead, that she had killed herself. Logic quickly kicked in and he realized that she had probably not eaten since she had been taken by the bounty hunter. By Spike.

With an unconscious snarl he carefully bent down and pulled the dress back up to cover her. Zipping it up was a hell of a lot more difficult than unzipping it had been. Once she was appropriately covered he lifted her into his arms, amazed at how light she was. Vicious could clearly see Tilly was in better shape than most of his men, but apparently muscle didn't add too much weight to a woman who was small to start with. He carried her out of the apartment and past a shocked Shin who seemed almost to be standing guard in the hallway.

"What happened?" he cried.

"She fainted." Vicious watched Shin's face for a moment before turning and continuing to Tilly's room alone. At her door he paused. "I didn't hurt her." A small sigh betrayed Shin's relief. He was like his brother. Old fashioned and clinging to outdated ways of thinking, old-fashioned promises that were worth nothing.

But Vicious could not deny that Tilly, _his_ Anatalia, was worth protecting.

* * *

"Tilly. Tilly!" The voice broke through the fog in her brain and she opened her eyes to see Shin at the foot of her bed. Slowly it registered that he was shaking her feet trying to wake her.

"Shin!"

Consciousness slammed through her, followed hard by panic as her last clear memory was being naked in Vicious's room. She glanced down and sighed in relief at the sight of the red dress once more covering her body. A look around also verified that she was back in her room.

"What happened?" Tilly asked. "What's going on?"

Shin moved into the bathroom and her clothes started flying out - a shirt, a boot, jeans, bra, and another boot.

"Get dressed," he called. "We don't have much time. Annie's waiting a few blocks away."

Tilly stripped off the dress as she got up from the bed and quickly pulled on her clothes as Shin kept talking from the bathroom.

"You're lucky to be alive. Annie told him about Spike before you went to see him." Shin came out of the bathroom with her socks and as many hairpins as he could find. "You were free. Why'd you come back? Spike could have kept you safe. What were you thinking? What happened last night?"

Now fully dressed, Tilly tried to pull her thoughts together as she slowly pulled her hair back into a loose bun. Finally she answered him.

"I came back because of the kids. The minute Annie took them, they were in danger. Once Vicious found out they were with her, it was only a matter of time before he used them against me." Shoes on now too, she walked into the living room and grabbed her coat. "If he took them, my freedom wouldn't be the only problem. Greater problems would arise than even _he_ would want. As for last night, I –"

Tilly stopped as the memory of Vicious' hands on her body caused her to flush.

"I'm not entirely sure what happened. We barely spoke. I didn't eat anything. I just woke up in here." A small white lie, but she was fairly certain that Shin already knew more than he was letting on. His expression was inscrutable. Tilly shook her head and pulled her coat on, turning toward the door.

"Tilly -" he began.

"I'm ready." She broke in, not ready to hear what he had to say. "Let's go."

She followed Shin down the corridor to the elevator, eyes glued to Vicious' door.

"He's gone out," Shin said gently.

As the two of them crossed the great lobby Tilly's nerves were screaming. She had to fight to keep herself from running out the door, the thought of Vicious suddenly appearing to stop her made her heart pound in her chest. Spike's eyes flashed through her mind, unbidden, and she calmed a bit, but the calm was broken by the nagging though of why.

_Why am I thinking about him? Especially after last night_?

Stepping through the front door was like walking into a light bulb. Only one day had passed since her first capture, but it felt like years. Shin started down the steps and Tilly followed quickly, sticking her hands in her pockets. As she crossed the street it registered that one of her hands was buried in silk.

Tilly stopped on the curb and pulled the material form her pocket.

The scarf.

Emotions roiled in your stomach. It could be hunger, but it hurt too much for just that. For a split second she wondered why she was leaving. She almost succumbed to the urge to go back to the Syndicate building, to Vicious.

Shin noticed Tilly stop and called out.

"Tilly, we have to hurry. There's no time."

She looked up at him, confused for a second. Then, with a silent nod, she stuff the scarf back into her pocket and hurried to catch up. Shin took hold of your elbow to make her keep up with him and hurried down the street. She feel free now to let her mind wander, allowing Shin to guide her body.

Tilly cared for Vicious, she always had. She had truly believed that there was a tender man who needed someone clean and untainted by cynicism to let him feel he could express that side of his nature. He had hurt her, yes, but that had been in a blind fury. More often he had shown her an almost uncharacteristic kindness. Their days together had been gentle and full of laughter. Last night had been… intoxicating.

Now, though, these unwanted thoughts of another man kept invading her mind. Spike.

When you disappeared the first time it was from hurt and anger, not fear. She hadn't felt the need to hide from Vicious, just to remove herself from the Syndicate quicksand. Vicious could kill her in a heartbeat and be off to lunch without a thought but Tilly could never fear him. Spike made her nervous, though. She felt unsure with him and yet she was now running to him for safety.

Shin led her around the corner of a far building and Tilly came back to the present as the sight of Annie leaning against the trunk of her car, cigarette in hand. At the sound of their approach she looked up and tossed the cigarette away, moving around the vehicle to the driver's side. Shin opened the door for Tilly and she started to step in, but paused.

Tilly turned and jumped into his arms, holding him close to her – her dear friend.

"Thank you."

Shin pulled you closer.

"Stay away, Tilly. He's too dangerous for you." Without looking up at him she turned away and got into the car. "Sarah took the kids already. They should be to New Texas by now. It wasn't safe to wait."

Tilly gasped and felt her heart break. She dropped her head back onto the headrest, fighting tears.

As Annie pulled away Tilly looked back to Shin and saw him just standing there, watching them leave. With a deep breath she made her mind accept that it was for the best. Shin had done the right thing. Victoria and Simon would have been marked now for sure.

From the back seat an unexpected voice spoke up.

"Did you bring me a present?"


	7. Chapter 7

**DISCLAIMER: Umm. You know.**

**BTW: My husband is hilarious. He just realized _today_ that his license expired in December. HILARIOUS!**

* * *

"Ed! What are you doing here?"

Ed was sitting on the floor of the backseat with Ein curled up on the seat behind her head. Both she and the dog seemed to be smiling at Tilly.

"Jet sent Ed so Tilly would know it's safe to come. Time to come to the Bebop-poww!"

Ed's volume fluctuated painfully, and her arms and toes wriggled as though made of something other than flesh and bone, but Tilly smiled, glad for her presence. The three women rode in silence for a few minutes when a problem broke through Tilly's musings.

"Is Spike waiting with the Swordfish? We won't all fit, will we?" Before Ed could answer, the car slowed to a stop.

"We're here," Annie said. Tilly turned around and was astonished to see the Bebop itself moored in the bay at the old Syndicate docks. This area had belonged to Mao but Vicious had never seen any point in maintaining the area. As a result of this neglect Spike was now able to hide right under Vicious' nose.

Laughing at the irony Tilly opened the door and walked forward to sit on the hood, the absurdity of it all taking her near the edge of hysteria. The sound of Ed and Ein coming up behind her pulled her back to reality and her normal control slowly returned. She pulled her sunglasses from her pocket and hid the tears that threatened to fall before stepping around Ed to join Annie at the trunk of the car.

The sound of a ramp lowering caught Tilly and Annie's attention and when the door opened Spike exited in exercise attire onto the deck of the ship, jumping aside to avoid a collision as Ed and Ein rushed inside. Doing her best not to look at him Tilly stared at the trunk and waited for Annie to turn the key.

Annie looked worriedly from Tilly to Spike, who only watched her daughter, and opened the trunk to pull bags from the car. Tilly was aware of her mother's concern, but she had no way to reassure her. Instead, you stuck to neutral, practical subjects.

"Did you bring my black trunk?" Annie nodded. "And everything from the back closet?"

"Yeah," she responded. "Spike's pal and I brought it all over last night. These are the clothes I thought you'd want."

Tilly's voice threatened to break with her next question.

"Did Wooby and Mr. Mouse make it?" Annie's eyes shot up to Tilly and she dropped a duffle bag. As their eyes meet, tears fell from beneath the black glasses.

"Yeah. I gave them to Sarah myself, so the kids wouldn't feel too lonely."

Nodding, Tilly turned back to the Bebop, her heart breaking once more. The pain almost pushed her to sob, but Jet and Faye exited the ship and she fought back the tears. Also, she would not give Spike the pleasure of seeing her cry. He hadn't looked away from her yet, staring down from the deck of the ship.

"It's not that bad here, you know," Faye drawled lazily. "Well, Jet's cooking is pretty bad at times, but usually you're just sick, not sad."

Jet grunted and grabbed two bags, pushing them into Faye's arms as she shouted in disagreement.

"Come on, funny girl," he says. "Help me carry the bags."

Grabbing the remaining bags, Tilly turned to face Annie.

"Annie..."

Without a word, Annie pulled Tilly into a gigantic bear hug, nearly cracking a few ribs. Stepping back carefully Tilly smiled weakly before taking a deep breath and turning away toward the Bebop.

"Don't worry," Annie said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "It could be worse."

Tilly stared up at Spike, meeting his gaze for the first time. She was grateful for the tinted glasses now. She felt more protected.

_Yeah_, she thought to herself as she climbed the ramp behind Jet and Faye, slowly approaching Spike. With a strange sense of de-ja-vu she broke eye contact as she passed him, very much as she had only a few short days ago. This time, however, his eyes never left her face as she walked up the ramp into the Bebop. This time, Tilly had no idea what he was thinking.

* * *

Just inside the door Faye was waiting, arms empty, to lead her to a room. Tilly followed her through the ship and down a long corridor in silence. After a few minutes Faye stopped at a door and turned the wheel, opening the latch. Swinging the door open she stepped back with a flourish to let Tilly enter first.

She stepped through the doorway and walked to the center of the small room. The lights came on and Tilly turned back to the door to see Faye's arm swinging down to her side from the light switch. Tilly set bags on the bed to her right and turned slowly, taking in her new home. There, in the far corner of the room, was her father's black trunk. Crossing the short distance she kneeled down in front of it and ran her hand gently over its ebony surface, pulling her sunglasses from her face.

"What's in there?" Tilly looked over her shoulder to see Faye still standing in the doorway, respecting the need a woman has for the privacy of her own quarters. With a wan smile Tilly looked back to the chest.

"My childhood. My past and my future." Gently she ran her fingers over the lock. "My new life."

Behind her she heard the sound of a lighter, followed by the unmistakable smell of cheap tobacco.

"Whatever."

The sound of retreating footsteps told Tilly that Faye had gone. She heard her parting words, though, as Faye mumbled to herself.

"Another weird loner. Just what this ship needs. Two Spikes."

Raising an eyebrow at the comparison, Tilly stood and walked back across her new room, looking around. She pulled the bags off the bed, allowing them to fall to the floor, and turned to fall back onto the bed, staring unseeing up at the ceiling.

"You won't find any answers there."

Tilly's eyes opened wide for a moment before she took deep breath in mild annoyance.

"Believe me, I've looked," he continued. Exhaling, she sat up.

"Hello, Spiegel." He was sill in his exercise clothes which consisted of sweatpants and a towel draped around his neck. Tilly didn't bother hiding her appraisal of his physique.

"When you're done, you can call me Spike." Tilly lay back with a snort and took another deep breath.

"I'm done, and Spiegel will do." Silence buzzed through the air for a moment, but suddenly was yanked to her feet. Spike's arm wrapped around your waist, pulling her to him, steadying her as his other hand buried its fingers in her hair. He forced her head back, his eyes flashing in anger as he made her meet his gaze.

"You've ruined my hair again," she said flatly.

"You're right," he responded with a voice equally void of emotion.

"I'll have to start wearing it down if this is going to be a habit."

Spike stared down at her, not answering, his eyes searching hers for answers to questions she didn't know. Slowly his expression softened and the death grip on her hair loosened, the hand sliding down to cradle her head. Something inside her broke. As the tears began to flow he pulled Tilly's face into his chest, while he rested his chin on the top of her head and wrapped his arms around her more securely. Sobs racked her body and her knees gave way, taking them both down. Before they could topple to the floor Spike pulled Tilly back to the wall and slid his down to cradle her in his lap.

Tilly cried, inexplicably safe and secure in his arms, until sleep took her.


	8. Chapter 8

**DISCLAIMER: My sister was bitten by a ostrich once... Seriously. It followed our car around the wildlife park trying to get her for half an hour. It was wierd. Anyway, Spike's not mine, nor are any of the other characters of Cowboy Bebop. I only can lay claim to Tilly. She's my bit of brilliance. Oh! And her father! He's mine too.**

**Thanks to all of you who msgd and reviewed. I really love all the feedback! Thank you!**

* * *

After a month or so had gone by the whole crew had settled into a routine of sorts. For the most part Tilly remained on the ship because of the bounty still on her head, but she and Jet worked together occasionally. At times, Tilly, Ed and Faye would team up to bring down some of the more obnoxious male bounties. Faye called it community service.

Tilly and Spike carefully avoided each other, hardly speaking beyond necessary niceties and the occasional morning sparring match. After the first night, and the morning after, they both seemed to have decided that far away from each other was the best place to be.

**Tilly's first morning on the Bebop**

5:57a.m.

Tilly's father had trained her with rigid discipline in her formative years, and the twins had kept her from having much free time during the day. Continuing her daily exercises had kept part of him alive and with her. Practicing early in the morning kept her free all day to take care of the kids and to work now and again.

Going through the fluid movements of her morning routine kept thoughts of home at bay and forced her to concentrate on her body. That muscle –there! That one needed stretching. As the digital numbers switched to 6:00 Tilly entered the final movements of her workout.

She swept her arms over her head and down to one side of her hips in a flower burst. Pulling both arms straight behind her back and parallel to the floor she crouched low to a defensive stance, birdlike in appearance as one leg balanced her, shooting straight forward along the ground. She pushed off her back leg to a releve, throwing a double punch to the solar plexus of her imaginary foe. A high roundhouse pushed her releve to a solid heel, which allowed her to spin-kick followed quickly by a low sweep of her arms up into another chest blow with the heels of both hands. Had the air been a person, she would have totally thrashed.

Tilly pulled herself up into the ready position, and then straightened to stand normally, taking a deep breath, the workout finished.

"I was never any good at that style."

With a small yelp Tilly spun around, hand to heart. She quickly dropped her hand in annoyance, though she continued to breathe heavily, first from exertion, now from shock. She narrowed her eyes and worked to calm her breathing, saying nothing as Spike leaned in the doorway of the hangar, smiling. Small strands of hair had come loose from her braid, framing her face and clinging to her neck. Behind Tilly, across the bay, the sun had begun to rise and Spike was bathed in a vermillion light.

"You're good. Where'd you learn to move like that?"

Her breathing under control now, she half answered him. "Thank you. That style is better suited to a woman."

Spike smiled and didn't push his questions.

"Particularly a small woman."

With a decidedly unladylike snort, Tilly walked over to the door, standing even with Spike.

"Let's call a spade a spade, Spiegel. I'm short."

"You aren't hurting for it," he replied making his own way onto the deck. "Do you always get such an early start?" Shrugging Tilly sat down as he began his own workout.

"The twins woke up around seven most mornings. I had to have baths and food ready, and after breakfast was a whole day of running and doing. I just got used to getting up early to get in my own time. I never feel quite right if I don't… Anyway, early morning was the only time, since the twins were such early risers. A trait I'd been told they inherited from heir father-" Tilly stopped speaking, horrified that she had almost said too much. She glanced up at Spike to gauge his reaction. He had kept going through his warm-up, though, and Tilly sighed in relief. "In any event, it's a habit now, so…"

Spike was quiet for a few minutes and Tilly watched him, making mental notes on corrections he should make, knowing she would never tell him. She recognized the jumps and movements her father had probably drilled into him and was surprised by others Gavin Dowe would have smacked Spike for even thinking about.

"You miss them." His statement pulled her thoughts back to the present. She knew this was the closest he would ever get to mentioning last night's meltdown. Tilly took a deep breath and answered.

"Logically I know they're safe. They're far away and safe. But I keep forgetting. I look around wondering which way is their room. Any minute now they should be coming down to find me and trying to talk me out of their daily bath." Tilly stood and walked over to the edge of the deck. She sat, dangling her legs over the side and stared at the rising sun's reflection on the water. "When I agreed to take them, it was just supposed to be temporary. I quickly realized, though, that their mother was too deep for her to come back any time soon, so I got used to them. I began to dread the thought that she might come for them. And now.. they're… and I can't…" Tilly's voice broke as she fought the tears, determined not to repeat last night's performance. "I didn't even get to tell them… to say…" She stopped, unable to continue. She exhaled a deep, shaking breath, willing the tears not to fall.

"Who's the mother?"

Tilly gasped and froze, not daring to exhale. She couldn't lie to him. Spike was too smart for that. But how to tell the truth without telling everything?

"If it's taking you this long to think up a lie, don't bother."

She turned to face him and nearly fell off the ship at the sight of him standing over her. He had apparently stopped his workout and had a half-smoked cigarette in his mouth. Tilly hadn't even heard him light up.

"I'll figure it out sooner or later." He backed up and leaned against the tire of his Swordfish. "And when I do," he continued, staring at the cherry, "you'll owe me some details."

Tilly barked a laugh, pained and sharp its harshness registered with them both. Tilly stood and made her way across the deck into the hangar.

"Spiegel, when you figure it out, you'll _have_ all the details."

**Back to the present.**

"Ai, Dios. All you bounty hunters in the Sol Solar System, how are y'all doing?" Punch, the host of the worst bounty hunting show ever seen, was giving the worst impression of a Mexican cowboy ever heard. At his side was the most pathetic sidekick ever seen.

"God. It's like watching Faye with a dye job and a lobotomy," Tilly muttered.

"Hey!" Faye shouted. Tilly ducked the pillow aimed at her head. On screen, the blonde continued.

"Once again, it's time for BIG SHOT!" Insane giggles erupted from her vaselined smile as her breasts threatened to do the same from behind her barely closed blouse.

"Well, pardners, we have two very unique bounties this week, don't we, Judy?"

Judy gave another maniacal giggle and nodded her head, humming an assent.

"Am I the only woman who wears normal shirts anymore?" Tilly slid down off the arm of the couch and landed almost on top of Spike. He gave her a pointed look - rather, he gave her chest a pointed look and Tilly responded with an elbow to his ribs, sliding down further to sit on the floor with Ed. Spike watched her back for a moment, fighting the urge to run his fingers through her ponytail.

"That's right folks," Punch continued. "This week we got a double bounty."

Faye's complaining over Tilly's comment had become a loud argument between her and Jet. Turning around at the noise, Tilly and Spike made the mistake of laughing. Faye launched herself across Jet at the two of them, and Spike fell back on top of Tilly. Ed dashed under the table to hide with Ein, and Tilly was trying to push Spike off as Faye and Jet stumbled and landed on top of them both, pushing the air out of Tilly's lungs. She felt as though her eyeballs were about to pop out when Spike began fighting back. Tilly wriggled herself out from the bottom and into a sitting position and started pulling Jet off the top of the pile. On the TV the show continued.

"Who's this guy?" Judy's disgusted voice barely registered. "I feel sorry for him."

"That's not a man, pendeja! That's a scarf!" That caught Tilly's attention and she ignored the others to watch the show.

"Oh! It's very pretty! Let's show the pictures. She's pretty."

"SHUT UP!" Tilly screamed. Instantly the commotion in her lap stopped and all eyes became glued to the TV as a split screen of the two bounties comes up.

"Holy shit."

Jet and Faye backed away onto the couch and Spike swung himself around to sit up on the floor beside Tilly.

"Looks like that scarf Vicious is always wearing," Faye said as the shock of seeing Tilly's face on TV registered with the group.

"And here's the payoff, ladies and cowboys. This scarf is worth a privately funded bounty of 20,000,000 woolong. The girl is apparently the reason the scarf is gone."

"That son of a bitch," Tilly hissed. "He set me up."

"The girl," Punch continues, "is worth a record 200,000,000 million woolong!"

"Geeze," the blond gushed. "I could buy a lot of shoes with that!"

"That's right!" A hand reached in from off screen with a note for Punch to read.

"Oh! And here's the best part, amigos. You only get one bounty if you bring in both, making this a total bounty of 220,000,000 woolong! For that much I might go after her myself-"

The screen went blank. Spike lanced over and saw Jet setting the remote back onto the table. Tilly simply stared at the blank screen. The levity in the room had died, and no one moved or spoke. At last, Tilly stood and stepped over Spike. She froze in place a moment before moving to leave the room.

"Tilly." Spike's hand on her wrist stopped her. "You had to know he would come looking for you."

"The minute I knew who you were," she whispered.

"Then why take his scarf?" Jet's accusatory tone pierced her. She pulled free of Spike's grasp and continued out the door.

"Tilly!" She stopped and turned, her eyes burning, and looked met the faces of the people who had risked their own lives to save hers. She took a deep breath to calm herself, and told the truth.

"It wasn't his. It was mine. I found it in my coat as Shin took me to meet Annie." Tilly paused a moment, bittersweet memories flashing before her eyes. "I didn't take it. I thought he was giving it back." Her voice had dropped to a murmur. Spike clenched his jaw at the tender expression in Tilly's eyes as she spoke of Vicious. Spike began to hate Vicious anew.

**On Mars**

Vicious paced slowly in his office, looking as though he were merely taking an afternoon stroll. Inside his mind, though, thoughts and options rolled unceasingly.

Why had Tilly left? Why had she gone back to Spike? Vicious sneered at the thought of his enemy. His bane. Why him? She hadn't gone back to those brats of hers. Sarah would have informed him.

Spinning to walk the opposite direction across the office, Vicious dismissed the idea of using the kids as bait. There was no telling how dangerous Tilly was. She could be lethal, but her jobs were all been controlled situations. She had never killed in anger before, only for money. She hadn't left, he was certain, for hatred of him, nor for love of Spike. Vicious had sensed none of the lies he had felt with Julia. No, using the children would only make her mad, and hurting them would send her on a killing spree. Few of his men would be able to survive her. There was no way of telling how many tricks she had picked up from her father. An angry woman was a dangerous thing. An angry assassin was hell on earth.

"Excuse me, Vicious." Shin stood in the doorway. Shin… Vicious was fairly certain he had helped her leave, but he couldn't prove it.

"What is it?" Vicious strode around his desk to stand gazing out the window.

"The bounty has just gone out and reports are beginning to come in. We should have her back soon."

"Good," Vicious replied evenly. "Any news on our other missing person? Have you found her yet?"

Shin took a slow breath before answering.

"Nothing yet."

Without moving, Vicious responds in a deceptively friendly voice. "Keep looking."

**On the Bebop**

"So, the bounty hunters protect the bounty. Again."

"Give it a rest, Faye." Jet mumbled as he moved back to the chair. Spike never looked up as Faye swung her legs up over him onto the couch, lighting up.

"How long is all I want to know."

Spike stood and took the cigarette from her mouth, ignoring her protest. Taking a deep drag he moved to sit on the table.

"How long what?" he asked.

"How long are we gonna have to keep this kid safe? Even Ed can look after herself."

"So can Tilly," Jet responded. He had seen her in action on the hunt, and had quickly come to see Tilly as a sister. "She's smart and tough. She doesn't need our protection. She needs our support."

Faye snorted and lit another cigarette for herself. "The last thing any of us on this ship ever do is offer support."

"Nobody's making you to stay, Faye."

Faye gasped and sat up in shock as Spike ground out his cigarette, watching the smoke rise. He hadn't said much, but the steel in his voice was unmistakable. Faye's eyes widened as she looked over at Jet and realized from his expression that if it became a choice between Faye and Tilly, _she'd _be the one sent packing. The pain in her chest was almost unbearable when she looked back at Spike to see him regarding her with an inscrutable look. He met her gaze for an instant and then stood to leave. At that moment, the delicate threads that had held Faye back for so long snapped.

"But you are making her stay, right? Anything it takes. What makes her so special? Why ask her to stay?"

Jet nearly spoke up to stop her, but thought better of it. Certain questions had been rolling in the back of his mind, and now they began to fit together in one hell of an answer.

Spike halted in his progress to the door and turned back to face Faye, his face a mask, but his eyes betraying the fire inside.

"She's a lead. She's in trouble. And I can't let her leave."

Shocked by his own response, Spike spun away and left the sitting room. Faye was shaking so violently from anger and hurt that her cigarette dropped its cherry. Silence filled the room as the bud of fire rolled off the edge of the couch to the floor. Jet's leg reached forward to snuff it with the toe of his boot.

"He doesn't like it either, Faye," he said softly. Slowly her head turned to face him, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. "He didn't plan this. He has enough troubles. She's thrown us all for a loop."

Faye broke.

"Who asked you? What do I care? Just because the two of you have fallen for her poor pathetic act doesn't mean I buy it." Faye stood and stalked toward the nearest exit. At the sound of Jet chuckling behind her she whirled around and stared him down, venom in her eyes.

"You know your problem?" he asked. Without really waiting for an answer Jet continued. "You think it's a competition. But she's not fighting you. She hasn't even realized the extent of the situation." Jet lit a cigarette and inhaled a deep drag to gather his courage before he persisted. "Spike fell for Tilly back in the alley. He's just now figuring it out."

Faye sank onto the couch, her eyes dead as the anger left her. "What happens when he finds Julia?" Faye's voice was soft and wooden. A sad smile crossed Jet's lips.

"I'm sure that thought haunts them both. Better question for you," Jet boomed as he stood, crushing out his cigarette. "What happens when Vicious finds her? Two men trying to hold on to Tilly, and they're already trying to kill each other over another woman. Should make for an interesting night."

Faye's eyes widened in comprehension and a cruel smile spread across her face. "Why Jet," she drawled. "I thought you were all about keeping the peace?"

Jet chuckled again, shrugging. Faye's face fell as another thought occurred to her.

"Is she in love with him?"

"I don't think she knows it yet, but yeah, she is." Jet exhaled as he made his way out of the room. His last words brought an angry screech from Faye. "Just like you."

Faye snapped the cigarette between her fingers, shaking in anger once more as Jet's footsteps echoed down the hall. Standing slowly a hard look entered her eye. Slowly her body ceased its trembling and she finally exited the room, going off in search of Tilly.

Beneath the table Ed, forgotten in all the turmoil, held Ein about the neck, grinning, none of the conversation lost on her. She beamed at the thought of Tilly and Spike.


	9. Chapter 9

**DISCLAIMER: Spike... MMmmm Spike... Sorry, what? Oh yeah. I'm not genious enough to create Bebop by myself. But the insanity I make the characters take part in, yeah that's my fault. And I want a Black Cherry Vanilla Diet Coke. Yummy.**

* * *

Tilly sat on the floor of the Bebop's cockpit and stared out at the endless sea of stars. The red scarf was draped over her head, the ends pooled in her lap. Memories held her and she idly toyed with a bit of the fringe. She didn't see a way forward, only the past stretched out before her. She couldn't return to the kids, and going to her mother's was definitely out of the question. Annie would be never ending questions, and she might as well put a "Please shoot here" sign on her forehead. The only options she had were to either stay on the Bebop, or go back to Vicious. 

Staying meant dealing with Faye's jealousy and Jet's well meaning (but still thoroughly aggravating) advice and comforting. Staying on the Bebop meant Spike. Eyes that she got lost in, even when he wasn't there. An intoxicating scent of whisky, tobacco and a clean-smelling aftershave. How long could she stay without going insane?

With a heavy sigh, Tilly smiled weakly. She wouldn't go back. She didn't hate Vicious, but she did fear him. And she loved him. And that made him more dangerous than hatred ever could.

The only other option (a very last resort sort of option) open to her was her father's plan, but that lead down a road that would only end in painful death- for more people than just Tilly. In her head though, she mapped out the safest route back to her home. She mentally checked off an inventory of the weapons there, including what she had on the Bebop. She knew exactly what and how many she would need to load up and go sickhouse on the Syndicate.

Tilly shivered involuntarily, knowing how ticked off Spike would become if she turned up missing and then the Syndicate house got destroyed. A wan chuckle escaped her throat at the idea of just belting Julia really hard for getting you stuck in all this. One good pimp-slap wouldn't be enough. Tilly wanted to come up from the ground and send the blonde nightmare flying.

"Nice look for you."

Refocusing her eyes, Tilly met Faye's gaze in the glass.

"It's not often I find two bounties in one place."

Sighing, Tilly turned around and leaned back against the glass to look up at Faye. "What do you want?"

Faye's eyes narrowed and she crossed the dark room, her silhouette blackened momentarily by the hallway lights behind her. Perching on a chair arm she peered down at Tilly.

"I'm just trying to figure out what is so great about you. What is it that's so amazing?"

Tilly frowned, not willing to play this game.

"Don't get me wrong," she continued and slid down into the chair, both legs hanging over the side. "You're cute enough. Sort of statuesque really. And you're smart. I respect that." Swinging one leg down for balance, Faye leaned forward suddenly. "But what is it about you that would make a man put up over 20 million on a bounty for you? What would make a man who hates women break his own rules to protect you? To keep you here, with him?" Faye smiled coldly and Tilly could almost see the sarcasm rolling off her. "Are you made of diamonds?"

With a weary smile Tilly stood and stretched and the scarf fell in a puddle on the floor, blood red in the dakness.

"Light up, Faye. It's story time."

Faye took Tilly's advice as the younger woman half turned away to stare back out at the stars.

"Once upon a time, there was a young woman. She was short, a little chubby, and she smiled constantly. She fell in love with a man. This man, however, was following a destiny that had no time for love. She understood, and did what all unrequited lovers do. She married his friend. They both knew the score. Annie wanted Mao and Dad wanted a child. When I was born, they both stopped pretending, and she split. My father, Gavin Dowe, was left with the responsibility of raising me by himself. He didn't mind, and I couldn't have been a happier kid."

Tilly fell silent for a moment when her father's smile flashed through her mind, unbidden. Pain stabbed her heart- a now all too familiar sensation- as the scent of mornings of laughter filled her senses and she closed her eyes, sliding down the glass to sit once more on the floor, the scarf beside her. She took a few deep breaths and pulled the scarf into her lap once more, not daring to look up at Faye. Faye studied her profile for a moment and felt the familiar twinge of jealousy. This girl was lovely, like a Victorian wife and mother, and Faye knew her own beauty was no match for the girl before her.

"Anyway, fast forward about sixteen years and you come to a birhtday party and the wierdest present ever." Tilly shrugged and glanced up at Faye. "This is condensing it all, and I'm sure you'd love to hear all about my adolescence, but for the purposes of the story, we'll press on.

"My father was the best the Syndicate had when I was young. As I got older, though, he decided the time to pass the torch had come, and he began to train me. Others too, but mostly me. By the time my 'Sweet Sixteen' arrived I had already learnt almost everything my dad had to teach me. Mao had become the head of his gang, and Annie was happily running information and agents. That summer I had been working some recon assignments with Julia- getting my feet wet, you know? Dad had taken on a few of the guys from Mao to train, and the recons were boring, so he felt safe letting me go. The end of that summer saw the end of my perfect little world,though."

"What happened?" Faye broke in, softly. Tilly looked over to her and smiled sadly.

"I got married." Tilly had to bite back a laugh at Faye's rapt attention. She looked back at the stars and let her mind wander for a moment.

"This scarf was a gift from Mao, my godfather." Tilly spoke in hushed tones, but in the silence of the cockpit Faye had no trouble hearing her words. "He thought it suited me. The day he gave me this, he informed my father that he had chosen a husband for me and that the wedding would take place when I turned eighteen- and he may have mentioned an expectation of kids before I was twenty, but frankly I stopped listening after husband."

Faye exhaled slowly. "Wow. And your folks were okay with this?"

Tilly smirked as she remembered that day. "No. My father was quite opposed to it. He and Mao nearly came to blows, but once I accepted, there was nothing dad could do."

"Why'd you agree?"

Tilly looked up at Faye and inhaled to answer, but stopped for a moment, formulating her thoughts.

"My father was a killer - the best on Mars, the best in the Syndicate." Tilly's voice was clear now, pride shining through. "He had groomed me to be just as good, better. But even the two of us together could never have won. Not then. He'd have worried too much about me, and Annie would have joined with Mao. By saying yes, I kept us from starting a war. I also gave my father a chance to think and set some terms."

"Terms?" Faye lit a new cigarette from the cherry and stubbed out the butt. "I thought you said you got married at seventeen?"

"I did. That was the bargain. A contract marriage at seventeen, followed by a courtship unitl I was twenty-one. Annie talked my dad into it."

Faye chuckled. "Sounds like you were set up."

"And how," Tilly replied smiling. "But I was okay with it. I trusted my godfather to know me well enough to choose a man I could respect. The plan gave me a few years to work and save up some contingency money for myself, and it gave this guy some time to get further ahead in the Syndicate, under Mao's tutelage. Besides, I think Mao wanted me to work for him, but knew I would never sign on for more than freelance. This got me into the 'family business' so to speak."

"How so?" Faye queried.Tilly looked over to her, suspicious for a moment, but Faye's questions seemed to have become genuine interest.

"Well, here's how I figure he and Annie had it worked out. I am the only one fully trained in all the skills my father posessed, the only one who knows everything he knew. He was more than just an assassin. He made Spike and Vicious look like small potatoes." Tilly stopped and smiled to herself.

"Maybe I'm glorifying him a bit, but I doubt by much. Mao knew I wouldn't go Syndicate, but he didn't want me going outside for business either. So, he looks around, finds some young buck rising through the ranks, figures we could be a good match and sells the idea to Annie. She sees the logic, and sees that Mao wants it to happen, and probably figures it's the only time she'll ever do much for me, and bam! I'm engaged. Marrying me into the Syndicate keeps me in line and gives them extra firrepower if they need it."

Tilly stopped talking for a moment, inhaling the secondhand smoke. For just a second Tilly wished she smoked so her hands would have something to do besides play with fringe.

"The only thing I hadn't counted on was Vicious."

"The man lives up to his name," Faye responded, ashing her cigarette. "You think they knew?"

"About Vicious?" Faye nodded. "Yeah, probably. Mao was most likely hoping I could tame Vicious a bit. Conjugal bliss, and all that. I don't think he counted on Vicious and Julia, though. And nobody saw Julia and Spike happening. Liked to knock me out of my chair when she told me."

Faye's eyes went wide, but Tillt waved her off, refusing to go there right now.

"In any event, the next year I turned seventeen, and I got married. Dad nearly called he whole thing off when Vicious walked into the room. We had no clue who it was, you see. But when I saw Vicious, I knew what Mao wanted, and I signed the papers." Faye began to speak, but again, Tilly waved her away. "I know… I said I wasn't there, but that was how it felt more than a fact. I knew he and Julia were together, so I figured he'd ignore me until we couldn't put it off any longer, and by the time it became an issue, I figured he and Julia would have plans- a way to break it to Mao."

"Then all hell broke loose," Faye whispered.

"No," Tilly answered. "It opened wide and swallowed us whole."

Silence took the room again and the sounds of Faye enjoying her smoking punctuated the roar of quiet. At last Faye crushed out her cigarette and stood, stretching.

"Time for bed," she yawned. "Come on, Tilly. Tomorrow we'll make a game plan."

Tilly stood and stretched. She picked up the scarf and followed Faye to the door, narly runnign into the tall woman when Faye stopped and turned to face Tilly.

"Jet says I'm trying to compete with you for Spike." She leaned back against the doorjamb and lit up yet again. "Jet also said there's no contest because you already won. That Spike fell for you a long time ago."

Tilly leaned against the other side of the doorway, not entirely certain what Fay was getting at.

"If you're asking me what I feel for Spike, I can only say I don't know. If you're asking what he feels, I'll let him answer for himself."

Tilly smiled and nodded toward the far corner, black except for the faint glow of a cigarette. Faye's eyes opened wide as she saw the floating cherry, and she turned beet red in anger.

"Goodnight, Spike," Tilly said and turned to leave, Faye sputtering in fury. Behind her Tilly heard a response that matched her own inner turmoil.

"Goodnight, Tilly. Goodnight, Faye."

* * *

**Okay y'all! A change of pace coming up in the next few chapters by way of a short story idea I got as I came to know Tilly and her place in this crew a little better. Purely for laughs, and it doesn't really move the plot along at all, but it should be fun (as soon as I finish rewriting it). See y'all soon!**


	10. New Bering & Waiting

**DISCLAIMER: You know what goes here...**

**A/N: So, this has nothing to do with the main plot, but I've been listening to "Mushroom Samba" a lot lately, and this struck me funny.**

* * *

Faint elevator music piped through the speakers in the ceiling. A digital counter high on the wall blinked in a bored manner. 36, 37. 36, 37. The small waiting area of the New Bering Spaceport DPSS office was gray and beige drab, just like every other waiting room in the universe.

Looking around Spike let loose a sigh and studied the other occupants of the room. One young man sat playing a video game, every now and then glancing p at the counter. An older woman sat, purse in lap, ticket in hand. She kept looking up at the counter, then down at her ticket, as though willing one or the other to change. Leaning back in his chair, legs stretched out in front of him, Spike laid his head back to look behind him. He grimaced as he saw a young Goth couple playing tonsil hockey. Leaning back a little farther to sneak a better look, Spike raised an eyebrow at the guy's chutzpah as he reached up the girl's shirt.

His gut twisted as they broke a part for a moment and smiled, seeming genuinely happy together. Spike sat forward and ran a hand through his hair, dying for a cigarette and ignoring the face that smiled in his mind. He glanced back over his shoulder, and had to laugh at the irony of a happy Goth couple.

Looking over his other shoulder, to the far corner, Spike noticed three old guys gathered around a checkers board, each man holding his on ticket. They grumbled and argued amongst themselves. Spike chuckled at them and slumped back in his seat, bored. He snuck one last look at the couple, and, pushing sapphire eyes from his mind, turned his attention back to the counter. It simply continued its lethargic counting. 37, 37.

Spike leaned forward and braced his elbows on his knees, looking down at his ticket. A groan of dismay escaped him.

"Damn."

86.

With a deep sigh, Spike closed his eyes and leaned back once more, stretching his legs out for a nap.

"This is going to take a while."

* * *

**On the Bebop**

Entering the sitting area, Tilly rubbed the water from her hair and hummed a lilting tune. A long hot bath with a good book had done a ton of good and the letters Annie smuggled though from the twins had worked a miracle. A tremendous weight seemed to have been lifted from her shoulders, which themselves seemed looser than they had been in weeks. The twins were healthy and happy, and Tilly could only be happy for them. She longed to write back, but that would have been too dangerous- for Annie, the kids, and everyone on the Bebop.

As Tilly descended the stairs she was sturck by how quiet the room was. Jet sat playing solitaire and Faye was simply doing her nails. Tilly waited for Faye to lift the brush from her nails before sitting beside her.

"Thanks," she said though the cigarette between her teeth. Tilly grunted a response and took a look at her own nails. Short enough to be functional, and almost long enough to be feminine. The "sport" length, as most salons called them. Pulling her feet up onto the edge of the table Tilly examined her toes. With a sigh she realized there was no point in trying to make them pretty. Dropping her feet to the floor she leaned forward to wrap her hair in a towel-turban.

Ed danced in with Einstein, singing about 'Big Shot', her favorite show. Exchanging a look with Jet Tilly leaned back and watched along with Ed.

"Welcome, pard'ners! You-all know what time it is?" The Mexican cowboy looked as ridiculous as ever. Punch always reminds Tilly of this crazy cowboy your dad had trained years ago. This guy had been good, but wacko. What was his name?

"No," the blonde squealed, riding in on her stuffed horse. "I don't have a watch!"

Punch gave her a double-take and pinched the bridge of his nose to fight off a headache.

"No, Judy," he shook his head. "It's time for the 'Bounty of the Day'!" Rallying his spirits heroically, Punch waved an arm to the left and the camera panned to the Big Shot big screen. "Today's 'bounty of the day' is a master criminal!"

The image of a man with dark eyes filled the screen. Tilly, Ed and Faye all froze, lost in the depths of is eyes. Jet looked around at the three women, confused at their reaction, but none of them noticed. Tilly didn't know why, but he seemed to be calling her to him, asking i her /i to come find him. Slowly, the rest of his face registered. Dark red hair in a stylish cut, a strong square jaw and the merest hint of a smirk all worked to create an attractive man, but the eyes… the eyes pulled Tilly in. They were a dark brown, almost black, and she felt herself falling in.

"Faye?" Tilly wanted to know her plan, because this would not be a safe man to chase. Faye generally came up with a plan for the pretty-boys.

"Careful, ladies!" Judy continued. "This man is a known heart-breaker. He's wanted for robbery, dealing in Red-Eye, and is suspected of working as an assassin for hire. He's known to have dealings with the Syndicate and with the Mars government on Titan."

"Best leave this one to the men, then! Ha-ha- Oww!" Punch's laughter was cut short by a smack in the face from Judy.

"Go get him, ladies! Just be careful."

The show ended, and Jet turned the screen off. Silence fell as nobody moved.

"Faye," Tilly asked once more, wanting to know the plan.

"Go get him, lady," she responded, returning her attention to her toes. "Just be careful."

Tilly stared at Faye in surprise before turning to meet Jet's gaze.

"I'll meet you in the hangar." Jet stood and stretched. "Ed, get looking."

"Righty-oh!" Ed jumped up and began zooming around with her arms out like an airplane. "Pretty bounty! Ed will find him!"

Jet sighed and shook his head. "This is going to be a long day."

* * *

**New Bering Spaceport**

Spike had read the DPSS Travel hints pamphlet eight timed already, and was about to start reading it again. He looked up at the wall once more, the sixth time in as many minutes. 41, 41. The lethargic blinking that had at first been merely quaint was now simply mocking him. Spike took a deep breath and opened the pamphlet once more.

b Welcome happy traveler to the New Bering Spaceport office of the Department of Public Space Safety. By reading this pamphlet you have demonstrated your desire to be a careful and conscientious traveler in our universe. We must all make the effort to be as cautious and – /b

Spike's communicator beeped. "Thank God!" He tossed the pamphlet aside and pulled his communicator from his pocket.

"Yeah?"

"Spike," Tilly's face filled the screen. "We have a bounty here in New Bering. Jet and I are going after him. We could use your – Andy!" Tilly smacked her head and breathed a sigh of relief.

"What?" Spike's eyes opened wide. "That lunatic isn't here is he?"

"Huh?" Tilly frowned in confusion. "No, sorry. I was trying all day long to remember this guys name, and-"

"Is that Spike?" Jet's voice was faint over the communicator.

"Yeah," she replied. Spike rolled his eyes at the insanity of the conversation, but was grateful for the distraction. The picture suddenly swirled, and Jet's face came into focus.

"Spike, are you done yet? We need you."

Spike looked up at the wall. 41, 42. 41, 42. He sighed yet again, and shook his head.

"No, I'm still waiting.

Tilly grabbed the com and Spike was surprised to notice her hair was down. "We're going to start. Call us when you're done."

"Who's the bounty?" Spike was curious why she was wearing lipstick.

"He's an all around bad-ass," Jet answered, opening his com to create a split-screen. "Drugs, armed robbery, hired assassin for the Syndicate."

"His name is Eamon O'Mara," Tilly broke in. "He looks familiar."

Spike nodded and glanced back at the counter. 42, 42.

"Just be careful."


	11. Eamon O' Mara

**DISCLAIMER: Yeah. You know what goes here. Just join me in picturing Spike and Vicious with no tops on. Eamon is mine, but the name was blatantly ripped. It's a fantabulous name.**

* * *

"Eamon O'Mara," Faye's voice came over the communicator as Tilly maneuvered the Redtail onto the parking pad, next to Jet's Hammerhead. "Age – 33, born on Mars, height… well, same as Spike-"

"How would you know that?" Jet asked as he powered down his ship, watching Tilly do the same.

"Let's just say," Faye replied," that I had good reasons for staying behind."

Tilly met up with Jet and smiled as he rolled his eyes.

"Anything I should know?" she asked as Jet signed off his com.

"Yeah," Faye replied. "He likes soft women, and his earlobe drives him nuts."

Tilly laughed as Jet groaned in disgust. "I'll keep that in mind," she returned.

"Tilly," Faye called before they could sign off. "No joke, now. Be careful. This guy is dangerous. Imagine if Spike or Vicious actually had a personality. Eamon's no fool."

Something about Faye's tone, and the image of Vicious that night on Mars made a chill run down Tilly's spine. "I'll be careful," she promised. As they both signed off Tilly looked up to see Jet staring at her with an odd look in his eye, as though he were sizing her up. Tilly smiled weakly, trying to shake the wiggins off.

"Two hundred woolong!" A gruff voice said behind her. They both turned to respond only to see no one there. But as Tily looked down a tiny man came into her line of sight. She yelped and jumped back into Jet's arms.

"What's the matter?" the guy asked. "Never seen a dwarf before?"

Gathering her senses (and catching the breath that tried to leave her) Tilly stepped forward, apologizing.

"Two hundred woolong for what?" Jet cut in.

The dwarf looked at Jet as though just breathing was an effort.

"Can't you read?" he hitched a thumb toward the entrance to the Spaceport Quad. A sign in large red letters detailed parking fees and refueling costs, but the miniature man quoted the sign to them in a bored Brooklynese.

"One hundred woolong to dock one ship. Fifty woolong to refuel a ship." Slowly Tilly backed away from the tiny man to stand by Jet. The guy watched her with an eyebrow cocked. "Two ships means two hundred woolong. You want a full tank to get home on, an extra fifty woolong for the short range fliers." Tilly laced your fingers through Jet's, fear taking hold of her. "Now, we can do this one of three ways," the Lilliputian dock master continued, "You can pay up," he held up a stunted digit with each option." You can take off, back to wherever you came from, or," a wicked smile spread across his face, revealing surprisingly good teeth behind the scraggly beard that kept the man from looking like an elf. "Or, I can impound your vehicle for failure to pay, and you can spend the rest of your stay here at the DPSS trying to pay the hundred woolong parking fee, plus the two hundred woolong fee to get your ship out of the impound."

As he finished speaking, the small man pulled a cigar from his front pocket and stuck it between his teeth, chuckling to himself.

Jet pulled a few bills from his pocket. "I hope Faye's ship is fueled up," he muttered. Digging into her pockets Tilly pulled another hundred woolong to add to Jet's two hundred.

"Here," she told him. "Fill them both, and let's get out of here." Tilly walked quickly away from the docking pad toward the main Quad of the Spaceport, leaving Jet to deal with the miniscule parking attendant.

* * *

Spike was at his wit's end. The sluggish blinking had made little headway. The game-player and the Goth couple had already been served, and who knew how long they had been waiting. 46, 47.46, 47. 47, 47. 

Spike took a deep breath and stood. Ticket in hand, he walked through the empty line to the counter where the lone attendant sat filing her nails.

"Excuse me?" Spike leaned on the counter and flashed a roguish grin. "Can you help me?"

The girl raised her eyes to look at Spike, and then tilted her head ever so slightly to look at the counter. "Are you number 47?"

Spike smiled shyly and did his best to look as cute as possible. "No, I'm not, but-"

The girl's metal nail file whipped up, mere inches from Spike's eyes, stopping him mid-sentence. Her arm swung to the side and the lethal looking file pointed to a large sign in red and black letters.

**We here at the DPSS thank you for your patronage, and your patience. We will try to assist everyone in a timely manner. Please pull a ticket and help yourself to our comfortable waiting area. Everyone will be helped in the order they arrived.**

**No Exceptions.**

**Thank you. – New Bering Spaceport DPSS**

Spike looked back at the girl who had returned to filing her nails.

"Okay, miss-"

The nail file flew up again and Spike jerked back a little at its vehemence. A small cough behind him caught his attention and he turned to see the small woman with her handbag clutched I one hand, ticket in the other.

"Right," Spike muttered and he went back to his seat. 48, 48.

The little woman pulled an envelope slowly from her purse and set it on the counter. She looked expectantly up at the girl, and waited silently. The girl took her ticket, verified it was her turn, and opened the envelope. The attendant perused the contents of the letter, stamped the bottom of the page, and tore the bottom third at the perforation.

"86.32 woolong," the clerk droned.

The little grandmother smiled and hooked her purse on her arm. She opened the bag and pulled out her billfold. Spike watched every movement as though in a trance. She pulled out one bill at a time, counting as she went along.

"Ten, twenty, thirty… Oh, my! Fifty," she smiled, proud of herself for having a twenty woolong note. "Sixty, seventy, seventy-five, six…" Two bills stuck together, and the little old woman licked her fingers to separate the bills, moving slowly and deliberately. "Ah!" She sighed. Seventy-seven, eight, nine, eighty, one, two, three, four… Oh, dear. I'll have to give you the rest in change."

Spike's eyes opened wide, and he tuned out the rest of the conversation. 48, 49. 48, 49.

* * *

Eamon O'Mara enjoyed the fine things in life. A good book could be just as engaging as a good woman. Both, unfortunately, had been in short supply for an embarrassingly long time. He was in hell stuck in the New Bering Spaceport. Eamon wanted a new book. He wanted a new woman. He wanted a beer that was better than this piss water he was forced to endure. He ordered another. 

Taking a swig of the lukewarm beer the bar advertised as "ice-cold", Eamon took in his surroundings once again. He had been on New Bering for nearly two weeks now thanks to that bounty from Mars. It was impossible to find good work this far from civilization. Cursing his luck, Eamon took a deep pull of his beer, attempting to find something in the taste to savor. And that was when he saw her.

She walked into the bar and ordered a beer. Her long dark hair was pulled into a braid that followed her spine to her waist. Small strands in loose curls had pulled free and framed her face like a pre-Raphaelite painting.

"Jet!" she called. Eamon followed her eyes to the large man walking in through the door. Eamon pulled himself back into the shadows, instantly intrigued by the angel and the bald man.

"You doing okay, Tilly?" Eamon leaned forward.

"Yeah," she replied, downing nearly half the beer in one drink. Eamon fell in love. "I hate midgets," she continued. "They're bad luck. Scare the hell out of me."

The man called Jet stared at the raven beauty as if she had just lost her mind. Eamon had to admit that she wasn't making much sense. Apparently, her friend's expression was not lost on her.

"Okay," she said, taking another swig before passing the beer off to the large man. "Here's the deal. They're bad luck. Every time one is around, something goes wrong."

"That's crazy," Jet replied.

"Oh yeah?" Tilly flagged down the bartender for two more drinks. "First time I ever broke a bone? I was fifteen, being chased by a mark-"

"Oh yeah? Growing pains?" She narrowed her eyes at his joke. Eamon was increasingly fascinated by this woman.

"Moving on," she continued. "I'm running away from this guy. There's a shortcut I could take, but as I turn the corner I run straight into this midget. We fall and I roll about four feet. He gets up screaming and cursing a blue streak, the mark catches me and breaks my arm for making him run."

Jet is laughing at her story, and Eamon finds the image amusing as well… until the sound of snapping bone plays in his head. Never a good sound.

"You laugh," she says. "But I nearly lost a mark because of a midget. As it is, I had to wear a cast for nearly six weeks. You try bathing twins with a cast on."

She took another pull of her beer and started mid-swallow as her pocket beeped. Pulling out a communicator and leaning back against the bar, Eamon jerked an eyebrow in appreciation of her figure.

"Yeah?" She asked. The communicator was too faint for Eamon to hear anything. "No," she responded. "No sign yet." The person on the other end of the com got loud for a moment and Tilly pushed her arm out as far as it would go. "No, I have no clue what Spike is up to, and no. No sign of O'Mara." Eamon froze. Bounty hunters. His new love was a bounty hunter. A sly smile spread across his face.

This was going to be interesting.


	12. The Bet

**DISCLAIMER: I don't feel clever tonight. Had to listen to two (count 'em TWO) screaming toddlers, at different tables, tonight at dinner. Now I'm full and tired and my hubby has gone to work (he's been taking time off for the last few months and I got used to having him around). Anyways, I don't own Cowboy Bebop. I'm only responsible for Tilly, Eamon and other peripheral characters. Yeah.**

* * *

The DPSS was killing Spike. Nothing had ever grated on his nerves so much as this office. Everyone but one of the old guys had been served, and his buddies had stuck around to keep him company. They were all still in the corner, arguing now over what happens when you jump a kinged checker.

That wouldn't be so bad, but to add insult to injury the desk clerk had gone on her lunch break. Apparently the standard lunch break for a DPSS attendant was… however the hell long she wanted to stay gone. Still, the blinker kept up its mocking pace. 62, 63. 62, 63.

Sighing in frustration, Spike pulled his com out and called Tilly.

"Yeah, Spike?" she responded. Spike froze, taken aback by her image for a moment. She always looked nice, but small curls had worked free of her braid and framed her cheeks, making her look especially pretty.

_Like the first time I saw her. _

He stared at her as she canvassed whatever scene was before her, glancing down only now and then.

"Spike?" she called out. "You there?"

"Yeah," he choked out. Clearing his throat, Spike continued. "Sorry. Listen, I'm starving. Think you can bring me something to eat if you get the chance?"

Tilly laughed and Spike's eyes softened watching her for a moment. He quickly masked his expression, though, as she looked back to him.

"Will do," she smiled. Suddenly her eyes darted off to one side, as though she had seen something. "Sausage and bun okay? Want a drink?"

"Yeah," Spike replied with hope in his voice. Tilly met his eyes for the first time, and Spike felt his stomach drop.

"I'll be right there," she smiled and signed out. Not a second later, the com beeped.

"Something wrong?" Spike asked, surprised to see Jet's face.

"Not that I know of," he answered smiling. "So, you and our little fugitive talking again?"

"Sort of," Spike replied in a bored voice. "I was hungry, and assumed you'd be off doing the ex-cop thing."

"No need," Jet responded. "Faye had all the information we needed."

"Faye, huh? She bringing this one in?"

"Nope," Jet answered. Spike's eyes widened and he raised an eyebrow. Jet's smile took on a mischievous slant. "She's afraid of him."

"Really?" Spike drawled. "That should be an interesting story."

"That's what I was thinking," Jet smirked.

* * *

Tilly made her way toward the sausage booth. She had been eyeing the kolaches and now had an acceptable excuse to go buy one. Checking over her shoulder as she made the purchase, Tilly couldn't help feeling as though she was being watched. The flash of red a few moments ago couldn't have been anyone but O'Mara. 

"Fan of kolaches?"

Tilly fought a scream and spun around. She saw no one at first, but then looked down to see the parking attendant. Barely concealing a shudder, she did her best to smile politely.

"Heh. Yeah. Um, gotta go. My shipmate's waiting for these." Tilly forced herself to walk calmly away, rather than sprinting like her legs wanted to.

"You know," an Irish brogue came from behind her. "He can tell you're freaked out."

Tilly stopped walking and slowly turned around. There before her were the dark eyes and red curls that had convinced her to come down to New Bering.

"You're prettier close up than you were from across the bar." O'Mara smiled and stepped forward. Tilly moved to jump him, but he held up his arms. "Now before you go spilling your food- and trust me, it's good food- hear me out. I'd much rather be your friend than your bounty, and you'd rather have money than a fine dinner with me, so I'll make you a wager."

Tilly narrowed her eyes, but kept her body tense- ready to spring after him if he tried to get away. "What wager?"

Eamon smiled and ran a hand through his hair. Tilly pretended not to find him attractive.

"I'll wager you my freedom for a night of your time. If you can catch me, say, in the next two hours, I'll go in, no fuss. But, if you can't catch me, well then, you have to meet me at seven sharp for a night of fine dining and wine. And, you have to wear a dress."

"I'll assume, then," Tilly responded, eyebrow raised at his audacity. "If I lose that I'm not allowed to take you down during the date."

"Well now," Eamon responded, an arrogant smile on his face. "That depends what you're taking me down for."

Tilly smiled in spite of herself. "Two hours, starting after I deliver this food then." Eamon bowed elaborately and melted back into the crowd of shoppers. "Damn it," she whispered.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who reads, and a big thank you to everyone who reviews. I try to respond to everyone as they review, because I really appreciate it. If, however, I DID fail to respond to a review, I just wanted to say thanks. You all make my day happy. Seriously. Thank you all.**


	13. Lunch and Secrets

**DISCLAIMER: I have come to the conclusion that Canderous is far more worthy of my time than Carth. Oh, yeah... and I don't own Cowboy Bebop or any characters belonging to the original creation. I do own Tilly and Eamon, and personally speaking I think Tilly is far more interesting than Elektra ever was. So there. **

**

* * *

**

Spike looked over to the door at the sound of the bell, hoping against hope it was the attendant. Not seeing her Spike was disappointed for a moment, his face comically crestfallen.

"Glad to see you too, Spike," Tilly laughed and sat beside him. Spike's nose rose and he sniffed the air.

"That for me?" He asked, eying the food in Tilly's arms.

"Some of it, yeah," She handed two of the buns to Spike, and a beverage, opening a third roll and a soda for herself. "Be glad I didn't drop those," she pointed her chin to his food."

Spike rose an eyebrow and simply dug into his food. The two of them ate in silence for a moment, Spike inhaling the sausages and buns, Tilly actually taking time to chew and swallow.

"So, what are you here for?" Tilly asked after a couple of minutes.

"Paying a ticket and a fine," Spike seethed. Tilly raised her eyebrows in curiosity, tying not to laugh at his reaction.

"What happened?"

Spike took a deep breath. "THEY IMPOUNDED MY SHIP!" He shouted, squishing the last of his second bun between his fingers, causing the sausage to shoot across the room. They watched it bounce and roll under a chair. Spike hung his head low. "This is not my day.

Tilly burst out laughing, trying too late to hide her smile behind her bun. Spike gave her a sardonic look, and that only caused her to laugh harder.

"I said that guy was bad luck!" she laughed. Spike eyed her like he was looking at a lunatic. "I'll tell you later. You should have just paid the fee!"

"Bite it, Tilly." Spike drank his beverage in one long pull and Tilly laughed quietly to herself before they both returned to silence. After a few moments, Spike stole a glance at Tilly and saw that her eyes had glazed over.

"How's the bounty going?"

Tilly took a deep breath and handed the rest of her bun to Spike. "I should get to it. Putting off those two hours won't keep 'em from happening."

Spike grunted a 'huh?' and rose an eyebrow over the bun.

"I'm an idiot, Spiegel. I really am." When Spike's brows knotted from confusion, Tilly just shook her head. "I made a bet. A really stupid bet." She stood and started pacing in front of Spike. "He gave me two hours to catch him. If I can get O'Mara before the two hours are up, he'll go quietly. But if I can't…" Tilly sighed and resumed her seat by Spike, sunk low in the chair, her legs stretched out and crossed in front of her.

"If you can't?" Spike encouraged. Tilly growled in frustration.

"Then I have to let him go, and I have to meet him tonight for a DATE!"

Spike froze, bun halfway into his mouth and eyes wide. Deep in his chest, something clenched, twisting his gut. Beside him, Tilly sighed and stood.

"Well, I should get going." She walked to the exit and turned back as she opened the door. "Wish me luck!" She called to him before turning and walking out into the street. Across the way, hidden from view, Eamon smiled, admiring the way Tilly walked, the way her curves knew exactly how to respond to her demands.

"Good luck," Eamon whispered.

Inside the DPSS, Spike's appetite was gone.

"Good luck, Tilly."

* * *

Faye sat cleaning her gun, her room dark except for the one lamp over her bed, lighting her work. In front of her, on the bed, sat a picture she had printed off the bounty sheet. Eamon O'Mara, the one guy she had truly cared for until Spike. Spike? Faye shook her head to get his eyes from her mind. Right now, she wanted to focus on O'Mara.

"You're a bastard, you know that?" she smiled at the picture. "I wasn't good enough for you, was I? Damaged goods. Too shifty, too hard, not soft enough for you." Faye slammed a magazine home and pulled a round into the chamber. "I'll bet _she's _caught your eye, though. She's caught everyone's damned eye, but I'll tell you something, you son of a bitch. If you lay one hand on her," Faye shook her gun at he picture. "I'll castrate you myself. We all need Tilly here. She's too important to us, and she's way to good for you." Faye clicked the safety off, tossed the photo away from her, and fired two rounds into it as it fluttered to the ground.

"Sounds like a lot of repressed anger, there."

Faye jumped and let out a yell of shock, swinging the gun to aim at the voice. Jet ducked just in time as a bullet whizzed out into the hallway.

"Damn it, Faye!" he growled, picking himself up from the floor.

"Sorry Jet," Faye frowned. "What were you doing there anyway? How long –"

"Long enough," he replied. "I came to ask exactly how you know so much about O'Mara, but I think I got my answer already."

Faye opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off when Jet's com beeped.

"Yeah?" Jet flipped open the com, but never looked down.

"Jet!" Spike called out. "Are you with Tilly?" Jet looked down and frowned at Spike's slightly panicked expression.

"No, I'm with Faye. What's up?"

Faye moved over to Jet's side as Spike explained about the bet. Jet's smile deepened and broadened until he was roaring with laughter. Spike's frustration got the better of him.

"It's not funny, Jet!"

"No, it's not," Faye agreed. "Come on Jet, we have work to do." Faye signed off the com as Spike was distracted by a bell ringing in the background. Jet watched Faye storm off with a smile on his lips, and a cold look in his eyes. Faye had been right. Tilly was too necessary to the crew to be taken down by this O'Mara guy. With a wry chuckle, he followed Faye to the hangar.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry this is so short, but you'll be pleased to know that this particular side story is finished. I'm just posting it here in pieces the way I saved them originally when I planned this for quizilla. If you want more, I'm gonna be cruel and make you ask for it, but don't feel you have to beg. After all, this is only fanfiction, and I'm by and far NOT the best author on this site. I just like a little feedback. ;-D Ciao!**


	14. Searching

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own the Bebop 'verse. I own Tilly. She's mine. I have nothing more to say. Only on the second cup of coffee. Woke up late.**

**

* * *

**Jet and Faye landed in the Hammerhead next to Faye's Redtail. Jet was worried they would have to pay the parking fee again, but the diminutive dock master waved them along. 

"Where's your other friend?" he asked. "I saw her buying lunch a while back."

"Working," Jet replied as he and Faye continued along. The small man waved a farewell and Faye looked over to Jet, eyebrow raised. "It's really a funny story there, but not 'til later."

The pair walked in silence, taking in their surroundings as they approached the main hub of the Spaceport market square. Faye scanned the faces for O'Mara, her eyes narrowed and determined. Jet looked around casually to see if he could spot Tilly in the crowd.

"So," Jet began as casually as he could. "You gonna tell me what's up with this guy?"

Faye snorted in response.

"Well, then," he continued. "You gonna tell me why you feel this sudden camaraderie toward Tilly?"

Faye continued gazing around her, looking for any sign of O'Mara. Inwardly she groaned, realizing that Jet wasn't about to le this go. "Let's just say," she finally answered in a distracted voice, "Tilly and I have an understanding."

"What kind of understanding?" Jet asked, smiling. He thought he saw- no. Not Tilly, just a slim brunette. Tilly was probably hot on O'Mara's trail by now.

"Basically," Faye replied, "I leave her alone and she won't bring Julia back."

Jet spun to look at Faye, his eyes wide. She looked over at him and nearly burst out laughing at his expression.

"It's a metaphor," she explained. "Tilly would never dream of really bringing Julia here. What I meant is she plans to give Spike plenty of room so he won't go all moody on us. Well," she tilted her head, thinking. "No moodier than usual at least."

Jet sighed and turned away to scan the sea of faces once more. "I don't think she'll really have much choice in the – There! There she is!" Jet exclaimed and pointed. Faye turned to look.

"Let's go," she called and took off in the direction Jet had indicated. "I'm gonna wring her neck."

Jet followed close behind Faye, smiling at her protective urges.

* * *

Tilly moved through the crowd. She had no idea where this throng had come from, but it was beginning to feel as though O'Mara had summoned them to hold her back. Gritting her teeth as another shoulder bumped her, Tilly shook her head at the idea of Eamon being responsible for this crush of humanity. 

He was toying with her, that was certain, and she knew it. She had spent the last hour and a half wandering the station and she was nowhere close to finding him. Tilly muttered a string of curses and then smiled apologetically at the tiny old woman who looked up at her with disapproval.

"'Scuse me, ma'am." Tilly smiled, trying to look as cute as possible. "My, erm… You haven't seen by any chance a man, have you? He's a- well, not a friend really, but he's about yay tall," Tilly held her hand about a foot above her head. "And he has bright red hair, sorta cute. We got separated."

The little woman stared up at Tilly. She then raised a gray eyebrow and clutched her little black handbag tighter to her chest. With a small sniff of disdain, she brushed past Tilly who simply stood and stared after her, mouth agape in shock.

Shaking her head and smiling a little at the brass of the old woman, Tilly turned away. Out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of Jet and Faye working their way toward her. Knowing Faye's dislike of O'Mara, Tilly was fairly certain the only thing that had brought her here was Spike opening his mouth.

"Damn it." Tilly ducked into the crush of bodies and worked her way to the spot she had last seen Eamon. "First I'm going to bag the hot leprechaun. Then I'm going to slap Spike so hard his teeth will bruise."

When Tilly emerged form the stream of people, she took stock of her surroundings. This was the spot she had seen him, but there was no evidence O'Mara had been here. Growling in frustration, Tilly pulled out her com.

"Ed!"

"Tilly-Whirl!" Ed's image swum back and forth across the screen, Ein jumping into the picture as Ed went out of frame. "No-where man!" Ed called. "Can't find records!"

"Ed, forget that." Tilly snapped. Ed stopped swerving and stared at Tilly, eyes wide. "Ed, I need you to break into the station's vid system. See if you can get me a visual on O'Mara. I'll never find him just running around."

Ed squealed in excitement. "Ed will find him!"

"Call me back if you do." Tilly signed off. Behind her came the sound of laughter. Spinning around, Tilly was disappointed to see an old gypsy woman with a cigar between her teeth.

"So," she spoke lowly in a voice of gravel and age. "You're the girl trying to catch Mr. O'Mara." Tilly narrowed her eyes and stepped closer to the old woman.

"He's a bounty. Have you seen him?"

"You'd do better with him in your bed." She grinned and revealed surprisingly good teeth.

"Sorry," Tilly smirked. "I've got enough men-problems. No call for adding more. Where can I find O'Mara?" Tilly flipped the woman a $1,000 woolong credit. The gypsy caught it mid-air and examined it for a moment.

"He's watching from behind the blue pillar behind you."

Tilly spun around in time to see Eamon pull himself behind the pillar.

"O'Mara!" she shouted and took off across the crowded walkway. Eamon cursed and took off, desparate to evade Tilly and wondering how much she had paid to top his own $500 woolong. Smirking to himself he realized she must be desperate. Eamon only had to stay free for another half hour.

At the end of the walkway Faye and Jet heard Tilly's shout. Looking toward her voice they saw a redheaded man running away from and small brunette. With a quick look to each other Faye and Jet took off in hot pursuit. The chase was on.


	15. Fans and Wine

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Spike, Faye, Ed, Jet (yay Jet) or any of the Bebop universe. I do own Tilly, Eamon and Charlie, though. I also don't own Kaname Chidori (who is making an appearance) or any of the FUMOFFU world (though I wouldn't mind a chance at Sagura or Kurz. mmmm...). Enjoy! Back to the normal angst after this chapter.**

* * *

Spike watched the last of the old men shuffle out the door. The sounds and smells of the market in the main quad of the spaceport taunted him. The crew was out there right now chasing down a bounty, and he was stuck in here waiting for a little counter on the wall to read 86. Spike looked up at the counter with venom in his eyes. 

74, 75. 74, 75.

Spike took a deep breath and stood, mentally preparing himself for battle with the DPSS attendant. He knew better than to try charming her, so Spike kept it all strictly business.

"Your number?"

"Eighty-six."

The attendant looked up to the counter. 75. 75. Her brown eyes moved back to Spike and long slender fingers moved a strand of her almost teal hair off her forehead. Spike glanced down at her nametag, decorated with a Bontakun sticker. 'Kaname Chidori.'

"Listen, pal," she leaned forward on the counter, resting her chin on one hand, the other on her hip. "I get paid squat for this job. I spend all day listening to people rant and rave about this or that while my boyfriend (the brainless jerk) can run around acting as if he's still on Titan, so do me a favor, huh? Take a seat and just wait your turn."

"Look, kid," Spike drawled back, his anger close to the boiling point. "I've been waiting all day. There's nobody here, and I've been more than patient. Can I please just pay this damn ticket and get the hell out of here? I've got things to do!"

Spike's voice had been slowly rising in volume, and the attendant's eyes had narrowed in return.

"I can see you're having a rough day, so I'll let that one slide." Spike's eyes shot open wide and his jaw dropped. _This broad is nuts._

"Here's how it's going to go down," Kaname smiled. "You go take a seat. The counter will keep doing its job, and when your number shows up, you can come back."

Spike was too shocked to say anything. His expression quickly changed to a scowl when the girl's smile deepened to a grin and she waved her farewell to him, giggling. He stalked back across the room to his seat and thanked the heavens that Tilly never giggled.

At the thought of Tilly, Spike wondered how she was doing.

* * *

Tilly was ready to scream. Her sides were already protesting as her lungs tried desperately to catch enough air. She didn't have long. Ten minutes at best, but she didn't dare look down to check her watch. The last twenty minutes she had forced her body to keep moving, trying to keep O'Mara in sight. Surely the man had to be getting tired by now. 

Oh, yes. Eamon was getting tired. He hadn't expected the girl to be so good. Everything he had done to shake her had failed miserably. Running through shops and restaurants hadn't lost her. Ducking through crowds only seemed to let her gain more ground on him. His bounty hunter was a magician. The only thing that kept him going was the lewd images in his mind. The girl had endurance, and that brought to mind a number of possibilities.

A quick look at his watch told Eamon he would be a free man, with this fascinating woman in his arms, in five minutes. Up ahead was the DPSS office, followed by the police station. Eamon grinned and forced his body to pick up more speed. She would lose her bounty in front of the NBSPD.

* * *

Charlie didn't mind being short. He never felt the need to hurry, so having short legs was never an issue. His wife was a leggy blonde who loved him, so that was no problem. He lived his life, did his job and got his wife naked as often as possible. 

Today had been one hell of a day, though. First that green-haired punk refused to pay the parking fee. That was stupid, but Charlie had dealt with his type enough so he was easily handled. Then the bald guy had come down with the pretty brunette. They had been cool, paid the fee no problem. Too bad she found Charlie scary. He never understood that. Then the bald guy had come back after lunch with another brunette. Personally speaking, Charlie preferred the subtlety of the first to the blatant sexuality of the second, but power to Baldy for getting them both.

His plan for the evening was simple. Dinner and some jazz with his wife. He had just bought the wine and was on his way home after a long day at the landing pad.

"Look out!"

Charlie jumped back as a tall man with red hair ran past, jostling the smaller man. Charlie stared in dismay at the puddle on the ground that had only seconds before been a bottle of his wife's favorite Pinot Noir.

* * *

Spike was fed up. The counter blinked slower than before. 83, 84. 83, 84. He stood and went over to the girl. Kaname Chidori was engrossed in a magazine, but her eyes snapped up as Spike cleared his throat. 

"Your number?" she asked.

"Eighty-six," Spike growled. She was doing this on purpose, now.

"Well, sir," she said with a false smile. "As you can see, number eighty-six is almost up, so if you'll just take your seat I can help you in just a few minutes."

Smoke steamed from Spike's ears as his face turned beet-red. He clenched his teeth and slammed a hand down on the counter, eyes closed as he tried vainly to get his temper under control.

"I have been waiting for a turn since I landed on this damn spaceport at eight this morning. Now, I'm the only person here, and I need to get to work if I want to eat for the next month or so," Spike leaned forward until his nose was only an inch from the attendant's. "Just take my 400 woolong and let me get the hell out-a here."

Spike wondered why the world was upside down. His head hurt like hell. He shook his head and realized he was upside down. Above him Kaname stood on the desk, an enormous paper fan in one hand.

"Now, sir," she said evenly. "Number eighty-six is almost up, so if you'll just take your seat I can help you in just a few minutes."

Spike rolled over into a sitting position and glared up at the attendant.

"Take my money now."

Spike didn't even have time to register a thought as the fan swung toward his face.

* * *

Tilly broke through the crowd and could see O'Mara just ahead. 

"Look out!" She heard him shout, followed quickly by the sound of glass breaking. A gypsy woman, no- wait. _The_ gypsy woman poured a bucket of sudsy water onto the ground just as Tilly reached the broken glass.

Her boots lost all traction on the steel floor and her body's momentum carried her forward as she desperately tried to dig her heels in.

"Watch it!"

"No! No! NOOO!" Tilly screamed as she saw the tiny dock master directly in her way. Unable to stop her momentum only picked up in her slide and she crashed into Charlie.

They tumbled together, sliding along the soapy walkway. Tilly pushed him away from her and Charlie rolled over to the side of the wine seller's booth. He stood quickly and watched as Tilly continued to roll.

* * *

Spike burst through the door of the DPSS and rolled head over heels to the middle of the road, landing on his back. Above him the endless blanket of stars blinked through the skylight.

* * *

Tilly spun on the soap until she hit dry ground, where she began to tumble, banging an elbow against a pole in the process. She came to a stop on her back, barely an inch from Spike's head. 

O'Mara looked back and saw his bounty hunter on the ground. A look at the clock confirmed he was a free man. Eamon grinned and stepped over Spike to crouch next to Tilly.

"Bad luck there, darlin'." Eamon laughed at his joke. "I'll meet you tonight at seven." Eamon stood and looked down at her, sparing barely a glance to Spike lying calmly on the ground perpendicular to Tilly. "Remember now, darlin'. I'll have you tonight in a dress," he continued in his brogue. "Blue I think."

O'Mara laughed and turned away. His face dropped, eyes wide in shock, as a fist connected with his face. Tripping over Spike's feet, Eamon fell back onto the ground only to be bodily lifted by Jet.

"Sorry, O'Mara," Faye smiled. "You'll be too busy tonight to make your date."

Jet cuffed a bleeding O'Mara and led him away.

"See you two back at the ship!" He called over his shoulder.

"Sorry, Tilly," Faye said as she stepped over her two shipmates still on the ground. "See you later."

Tilly and Spike lay on the ground and stared at the stars.

"My butt hurts," she mumbled.

Spike reached into his pocket and pulled out his cigarettes, lighting up without responding. Tilly reached over to take the cigarette, suddenly feeling the need for a smoke. Spike slapped her hand away and reached up with his other hand to pull the cigarette from his lips, exhaling slowly.

"You shouldn't smoke," he drawled. "It's a filthy habit."

The door to the DPSS opened and Kaname Chidori, Spike's newest nemesis came out the door, locking it behind her. She stepped over the two people on the ground and walked toward the main shopping hub. Spike watched her go and sighed.

"Damn." He stood slowly and helped Tilly to her feet. "Come on. Let's go."

* * *

The counter clicked slowly on the wall of the DPSS office in New Bering Spaceport. 85. 85. 85, 86. 86. 86.

* * *

See you later, Space Cowboys… 


	16. Callisto and Gin 1

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Cowboy Bebop. I do own Tilly. I am hungry. **

**A/N:Sorry this is a short update. :o)**

* * *

Tilly pulled the collar of her jacket (well, Spike's jacket) up to block the wind from the incessant blizzard. She had been killing time on Callisto for close to a week now, waiting for her contact. If he didn't show up tonight, though, Tilly was flying back to the Bebop. Spike was probably salivating at the Swordfish's disappearance by now.

She pulled open the door to the bar, the same rat-hole bar she'd been going to for a week now, and was nearly pulled backward as a gust of bitter wind flung the door open wide. She steeped in quickly and began trying to pull the door shut. The bartender reached around her and added his weight to the effort. Another gust of wind sent Tilly and the man flying into a nearby table. As she righted herself, Tilly and the bartender, Jake, laughed. This was the third time they had found themselves introducing themselves to that table's occupants.

"Same thing tonight Miss Dowe?" Jake asked. Tilly smiled and nodded as she grabbed her usual seat near the piano. She was known here only as Dowe, Miss Dowe to Jake who had taken a liking to her after she laughed off being nearly crushed by the blizzard and his bulk the first time, nearly eight years ago. In all that time, he had never pried into her life, except to offer her a room at his wife's insistence. Tilly had refused, of course, but since then she had always arranged meetings in his bar, knowing Jake would step in if it got out of hand, so she wouldn't have to blow her cover.

Jake came to her table with her regular drink, an ice-cold dirty gin martini, and bent low to her ear.

"Guy at the bar askin' for Dowe. Want me to send him this way?"

"Which one?" Tilly asked, surveying the men standing at the bar. Her gaze locked on him. A blonde man was trying very hard to make himself look nondescript. "Never mind, Jake. Send him over." Tilly took a sip of her drink and closed her eyes for a moment, savoring the smooth taste of juniper mixed with olive brine. When she opened her eyes, she saw the blonde man approaching her table. "Have a seat," she gestured. Tilly never smiled during formalities at Jake's bar.

"Dowe?" The man seemed surprised to find a woman waiting for him. Tilly smirked inwardly. Every time she got the same reaction.

"I speak for Dowe," she replied. This always put a client at ease, and Tilly had to restrain a laugh as the man visibly relaxed. "What can I do for you?"

"I've come with a message for Dowe and Dowe alone."

Tilly tilted her head and took a long slow sip of her drink, never taking her eyes from the stranger. Slowly she swallowed and set her glass down. The man fidgeted in his seat, uncomfortable with the steel gaze from the small woman.

"I'm the closest to Dowe you'll ever get. If you want to pass a message, talk now. Otherwise I suggest you stop wasting my time."

The blonde man regarded her, appraising her words and came quickly to a decision.

"My name is Swift Campbell." Tilly raised a brow.

"Interesting name, but what's it to me?"

"I come on behalf of my employer to inform Dowe that Boris Shae has been gaining work by presenting himself as Dowe's successor." Swift noticed the subtle change in Tilly's posture, the steel that entered her eyes. "My employer has employed this man in the past, with – mixed results. I have been authorized to engage the real Dowe's services in ridding my employer of this man's persistent incompetence."

Tilly leaned forward onto the table and bent her head, staring into her gin. After a long moment, she looked up to Swift.

"You should have come to Dowe first, instead of going with Shae. Dowe refused him for a reason."

Swift smiled a lazy grin.

"A reason my employer has become painfully aware of. What would Dowe charge for this information?"

"Just what I was about to ask you," Tilly smiled for the first time. She leaned back in her seat and took another sip of her drink as Swift's smile softened.

"This man is no… No, wait. That's not quite true. Shae is a fool, but a deadly fool. My employer wants him taken care of and removed from his presence. For this, my employer is willing to pay. We thought Dowe would appreciate being offered this task first."

"Dowe will be more than happy to take the job," Tilly replied. "You keep mentioning your employer. May I ask who that is?" Swift flashed a grin and leaned forward.

"May I ask what you're doing after this?"

Tilly threw her head back and laughed. Swift joined her and Jake looked up from the bar at the sound. He smiled and returned to his work.

"Twelve million woolong. You can leave it with Jake. He knows how to contact me." Tilly downed the last of her drink, grabbed the plastic sword with her two olives and walked away. Swift stared at her glass and waited for the sound of the door opening and closing before he moved. When he was sure she was gone, he pulled a communicator from his pocket.

"It's Swift. Dowe agreed." He signed off and smiled to himself.


	17. Going to War 2

**DISCLAIMER: You know what goes here. Just make sure it's witty.**

**A/N: I would like to go on record as saying that this chapeter unnecessarily took a long time to post because the website wouldn't let me upload the document. So, blame for the delay.**

* * *

"I'll kill her," Spike grunted for the tenth time in an hour. "I'll wring her neck when she gets back." 

Jet and Faye glanced up at Spike and then at each other, amused. Ed lay stretched out on the couch with Ein on her stomach. Since Tilly had been discovered missing, and the Swordfish (much to Spike's dismay), everyone had been waiting to hear from her. Only Ed had seemed unconcerned at Tilly's disappearance. Although, Ed had been the one to inform everyone that Tilly had borrowed the Swordfish and left.

That had been nearly two weeks ago and the little minx had removed the tracking device Spike had planted on his ship. Since then there had been no word. No email, no letters, no trail, no sign of her. Spike was getting worried. What if she had gone back to Vicious? With his ship? What if she was hurt? What if she had crashed? What if she had damaged his ship?

"I'll kill her."

The phone rang.

Ed sprang from her supine position, sending Ein flying across the room into Jet's lap. Spike dove for the vid-screen right behind Ed in an attempt to be there first. Ed's finger hit the button.

"Tilly-whirl!"

Tilly's face came into focus on the screen as she laughed.

"Hello Ed," she responded. Spike was ready to explode.

"'_Hello Ed'_?You've been missing for two weeks – with my ship! And all we get is _'Hello Ed'_!"

Tilly bit her lip to keep from laughing and a vein bulged on Spike's forehead. How dare she find this funny!

"Umm," she looked slightly ashamed. "How are you?" Tilly shrugged.

"_Where's my ship!_" Spike grasped the sides of the screen and brought the tip of his nose right to the screen.

"Outside the hangar bay," she shrugged again. "Hey Jet! Can you let me in?"

Spike sat back on the floor, jaw slack. The girl was going to give him a heart attack.

"Sure thing, Tilly. Hang on just a sec."

Ed bounced away from the screen after Jet and Faye moved away toward the hangar. Spike stared at Tilly's image still on the screen. She winked at him and terminated the link.

"Shit."

* * *

Spike strode into the hangar as Tilly climbed down from the Swordfish looking fit to kill. Tilly winced and jumped the last few feet to the ground. 

"Hey Faye," she called. "Hello Spike." Tilly walked straight to the waiting bounty hunter, unbuttoning his coat as she moved. His eyes followed her hand down the row and down again as she pulled down the zipper. His eyes went wide and the vein on his forehead bulged again.

"That's my jacket," Spike seethed. Tilly grinned sheepishly as she pulled the overlarge coat from her shoulders.

"Sorry, but it was the warmest thing I found to wear."

"To wear where?"

Tilly stepped around Spike and crossed the hangar to Faye. She held out a bag with a red bow to Faye and smiled.

"I brought you a present."

Faye's eyebrow shot up and she fell on the bag like a child with a new toy.

"Gimme!"

_"To wear where!" _Spike shouted. Tilly and Faye both turned back to face him.

"Leave her alone, Spike," Faye snapped. "Give her time to pee at least."

Tilly smirked and ducked out of the conversation.

"Thanks Faye!"

* * *

"She's up to something, Jet." Spike stared at his beef and peppers but for once didn't wonder why there was no beef. "Where was she? Why won't she talk to anyone?" 

"Has she ever talked to us?" Jet asked, earning a sly grin from Spike.

"No," he replied slowly. "But she likes you. You could talk to her."

Leaning back in his seat, Jet shook his head and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"You want to know what's going on so badly, you ask her."

Spike regarded Jet for a moment, and then looked down to his bowl. He took a deep breath and stood. Jet watched Spike walk away with his hands tucked into his pants pockets. Jet smiled at his partner's attempt at nonchalance.

* * *

Tilly was sitting on her floor when Spike finally found her. She had close to two dozen guns spread out in front of her, and almost as many knives. Farthest from her, laid across the top of her now almost empty black chest, was a sword. A Katana from the looks of it. Spike suddenly had a better idea of what had attracted Vicious to the girl. 

_What happened while she was gone? Where did she go?_

"You can come in, Spiegel. They aren't loaded yet."

Spike smirked at Tilly's back. She sat there cleaning a large automatic revolver. The weapon looked comical in her small hands, but Spike knew better than to assume she was anything less than an expert in its use.

"Wouldn't matter if they were," he drawled in response. "You going to war?"

"Something like that," Tilly answered. Spike carefully stepped over the weapons on the floor and was about to sit on the bed when he noticed a few high-powered rifles in pieces there. He raised an eyebrow at the firepower and made his way back across the room to the chair in the corner, moving a box of shells and magazines to the floor beside him. He surveyed the room in front of him more closely. Something seemed familiar, a scene at the edge of his mind. Rather than grasping for the answer Spike ignored the tickling in his brain, hoping the answer would come on its own.

"So, where were you?" Tilly's hands slowed in their methodical cleaning before resuming their original pace. Spike felt hypnotized by the movement of her small hands and followed them as they reassembled the revolver, slammed a magazine home, set the gun on the floor and moved on to a smaller Derringer, dismantling the small weapon in seconds. Spike continued to stare as she began to clean the gun.

"Callisto."

Spike snapped out of his trance.

"Callisto?" The scene finally clicked into place for Spike.

_"Where you headed, Dowe?"_

_Gavin Dowe was sitting at his kitchen table and cleaning a large revolver. Spike loved the gun and planned to buy one just like it when he could afford to. Across the table from the Syndicate assassin sat his young daughter sharpening her father's blades in careful, methodical strokes._

_"Just got back from Callisto. Heading out on a freelance job." Dowe quickly reassembled the revolver, slammed a magazine home and set the gun down. As he picked up a derringer, he continued speaking. "I'm leaving you with the keys to the house, Spike. I'll be taking my daughter with me, so you won't have to worry about her." The girl looked up at her father in surprise._

_"Baby-girl, go get my harness from upstairs, please."_

_The girl silently left the room. When she was up the stairs, Dowe turned to Spike._

_"Julia will be staying here, too, while I'm gone. Vicious is off with Lin and Mao. Be careful while I'm gone."_

_

* * *

_

**P.S. I know this looks like a loss of continuity, since they aren't supposed to know each other before chapter one, but I'm asking y'all to trust me here.**


	18. I'll Come Back 3

**DISCLAIMER: Yeah. There's a cat in my lap. Oh! And I don't own Cowboy Bebop.**

**A/N: Do you like the format I have? You know, how it just keps going and I don't break apart the stories? Or would you rather I break them up into individual stories? They'd be about five chapters or so each in that case... Whatcha think?**

* * *

"I'll be back in couple of weeks." Tilly's voice was soft. Spike suddenly realized what Tilly was doing and felt his temper shoot to boiling.

"A couple of weeks?" His voice was deadly calm, but Tilly was no fool.

"It's personal. I'll be back."

Tilly's hands never stopped moving as she continued to clean her miniature gun. Spike watched her for a few moments longer. She was leaving the Bebop for a job. He had no way of knowing when she'd come back and no way to help her.

"Your dad used to go to Callisto." Spikes eyes followed the movements of her hands as she continued to clean and prep her derringer. "He'd always disappear for a while."

"His last job was right after Callisto," Tilly completed his thoughts. "I remember." Tilly reassembled the handgun and moved on to another revolver. "I was there with him, Spike. We were outmatched. This won't be like that. I'll be back."

Spike had nothing to say. There was nothing he could say without sounding as though he cared. Like he cared more than he should.

"This is my _job_, Spiegel. It always was." Tilly stopped her cleaning and turned to face Spike. "I'll be back." Her voice was a whisper, but the silence in the room carried her words.

Their eyes locked in a battle of wills, but where Spike's gaze was angry and defiant, Tilly was calm and serene. She would come back to him.

Spike growled in frustration at the thought and stalked from the room. Tilly sighed as she watched him leave and allowed her expression to change at last. Her eyes now showed her fear and sorrow.

"I'll do my best to come back, Spike."

* * *

Jet stayed silent when Spike stormed past him. Silently, he followed his partner to the hangar bay where Spike immediately peeled off his jacket and tie, grabbing his tools for the Swordfish. Jet lit a cigarette and turned away to seek Tilly on his own. 

At the doorway to her room, Jet's jaw dropped. The butt of his cigarette bounced and rolled across the floor to rest by Tilly. She stopped sharpening the knife in her hand and looked down at the glowing weed. She reached down, blade in hand, and brought the filter to her lips, relishing a slow, long drag. Smoke swirled around her as she exhaled.

"Thanks, Jet." Tilly took another long drag before crushing the cherry into the floor. "I've wanted one of those for almost a month now."

Jet swallowed and stepped forward into the room.

"I didn't know you smoked."

"I quit for the twins. Dad hated it, but sometimes you stand out if you're too different from those around you. Another kid smoking in a bar is nothing. A kid just _sitting_ in a bar you notice."

Tilly had returned to sharpening her blade, the shrill sound of steel on steel ringing through the air. Her hands moved quickly and surely, with a confidence Jet had never seen in Tilly. Even when hunting a bounty, Tilly was in general willing to hang back for the assist. This was a new woman in front of Jet. The change in her was as physical as it was mental. Jet had no idea how to talk to this Tilly.

"Every time I get a job, I suddenly crave a cigarette. Never until then." Tilly paused and turned a radiant smile on Jet. "Strange, huh?"

This was definitely not Tilly. Jet searched her eyes for a long moment before speaking.

"Is the pay really so bad here you have to go?" Jet's lame excuse for a joke fell to the ground. Tilly tilted her head and her smile fell away.

"I have to go." She shook her head and turned back to her blade, testing the edge before moving on to another. "This is something I have to do. I'd be going even without the money." Jet scoffed and sat in the chair.

"Just out of curiosity, what's a man's life worth these days?"

"This man's, nothing. But I'll get 12 million for him." Jet's eyebrows shot up.

"That's not a lot." He was surprised. Tilly seemed to be the high-end sort.

"I told you, it's personal. I'd have gone anyway once I heard. Vicious is simply saving me time."

Jet went still at the mention of Vicious. Tilly felt his tension and turned to face her friend.

"It's a setup. He wants me to take care of Shae." Tilly's words were cold and distant, made foreign by the sound of scraping steel. "Then he probably plans to have Swift bring me in. What Vicious doesn't realize is that I recognized his pretty boy."

"Then don't go," Jet said gruffly. "Why walk in to a trap if you don't have to?"

Tilly's hands stopped and she took in a deep breath.

"Because I want Shae. And I want Swift."

Jet tilted his head, a thought rolling in the back of his mind, pushing forward through the turmoil.

"You have enough problems already, Tilly. Do you really need another one?"

Tilly's brow furrowed in confusion. She looked over her shoulder to Jet and watched him.

"Don't play stupid." Tilly's face lost all expression and she turned away. Jet sighed and tried a new line of attack. "Who's Shae?"

"A fool. He wanted to train with my father. He showed up around the same time as Vicious and Lin. Spike too, I guess. You know, I saw Spike once. I remembered this morning." Jet stayed silent, allowing her thoughts to flow. "I didn't know who he was then, just that my dad trusted him. It was my dad's last job, and I was going with him. He called this guy into the kitchen and then sent me upstairs to fetch something for him." A tender smile played on Tilly's lips. "I just remembered that today. I've tried to block out that job, I guess. That was when I lost my dad. Shae jumped us with an ambush."

"He Syndicate?" Jet asked gently. Tilly laughed- a harsh, cruel sound.

"Shae couldn't spell Syndicate, let alone get recruited. No, he's purely freelance. Dad wanted nothing to do with him, didn't trust his eyes. The bastard had to hire out a team of men to take us on." Tilly stopped speaking, the memory of that night still to painful to describe. "You know," her voice cracked. "Thinking about it, I used to think Spike was pretty cute. I vaguely recall wishing Vicious could be more like the goofy guy with green hair, or like Shin, smiling and gentle. I didn't know who Spike was- that the guy with the dorky grin was the same man Julia talked about."

Tilly shook her head, disgusted by her own naivety then and the clenching in her gut now. Julia. The true catalyst in the triangle Tilly found herself. The woman for whom she was merely a substitute. An excuse for the two men to continue fighting for control, for love that she would never get from either.

"I don't want another problem. Swift works for Vicious. He'll be there to take me. He won't." Tilly's strokes became violent as she began on yet another blade, her sword.

Jet sensed the change in her and stood, moving to the door. "Come back soon," he sighed. "Spike's got a bad temper when you're gone."

Slowly Tilly turned to face him and Jet's heart dropped at the pain in her eyes. Then, for a moment, the old Tilly shone through with a grin.

"I'll bring him back a present. You too."

"Just you come back. That'll be enough. For both of us."

Tilly turned away and continued her work, the assassin once again taking over. A second later a pack of cigarettes landed on the ground by her hip. A cold smile crossed her lips.

* * *

Swift Campbell lit a cigarette and inhaled, holding the burning smoke in his lungs a long moment before slowly exhaling, once again stifling the urge to kill Shae. He understood why Vicious had asked him to track the man down, but he still couldn't figure out why _he_ had to wait for the girl with this idiot. 

The girl.

Thinking about her made the wait worth it, and Swift could feel his tension melt away. He had watched her for almost two weeks, disguised and unnoticed, before the night he had made his move. He had grown to look forward to her appearance at the bar, and would have waited longer to meet her had Vicious let him. One night he had chanced sitting at the table by the door, and she had fallen into his arms. Like any other night though, she had laughed it off with an apology and moved to her table near the bar, but not before Swift had made the mistake of noticing her mouth. Full and red, ready for kissing her cupid's bow had shot him and Swift cursed himself as several kinds of stupid.

He would do his job, though. He was sent to make sure Shae was dead and Dowe's girl was returned to Vicious. Swift doubted she would be any competition for Syndicate work. If Vicious was smart he'd keep the girl chained to his bed and not let her out of his sight. Based on the word spreading through the ranks, that was the plan.

"It was great, man! You should have been there!"

Shae's high-pitched accent cut through Swift's reverie. Swift naturally was inclined to dislike the man, never having cared much for the New Aussie natives. They were almost as bad as the fools who stayed on Earth.

"My men kept Dowe busy while I took the girl. I would have killed her, but all I had was my tranq pistol." Swift's head shot over to Shae. "Caught your attention with that, eh? Yeah, it was a pity. I'd have rather killed her, but it took her down all the same, and that was all I was hired to do. She took two darts, though. I mean, she just kept coming! Dowe was another matter entirely. It took five darts and all but one of my men to get that bastard down. My men emptied two clips into him, but the old bull kept coming."

Shae threw back his fifth shot of whiskey and smacked loudly, laughing at his exploit. Swift felt his stomach turn. This idiot had killed Dowe with an ambush, and nearly killed the girl. In a fair fight, she alone, even as a child, would have ended his life.

"You know you have to face her alone." Swift fought to keep his voice neutral.

"No worries mate. I've grown up a bit in the last eight years. I don't need all that backup anymore. Your boss did right in coming to me. I've earned the name Dowe." Shae's voice pitched low with anger. "She won't be a problem," he said darkly as he poured himself another shot.

Swift sneered at the "assassin" before him. It would be a joy to watch the girl kill this fool. It would be a shame to have to turn her over to Vicious.

* * *

Faye watched Tilly snap the second suitcase closed, spinning the dials on the combination. She hadn't packed any clothes, just the weapons. Most of what she had cleaned and sharpened had gone back into the trunk, and Faye wondered that she hadn't simply prepped what she needed. 

Tilly stood, already loaded with at least twenty ponds of steel and firepower on her small frame, and pulled a long coat on over her small frame. Faye was amazed that nothing bulged or betrayed itself. Tilly slung her katana over one shoulder and grabbed both suitcases. She stopped short when she saw Faye.

"Are you going to try and keep me from going, too?"

Faye smiled.

"No."

"Is Tilly leaving?" Ed stuck her head into the doorway from behind Faye.

"She's got something to do," Faye answered. Tilly tilted her head and then nodded her thanks.

"Will you tell Jet to open the bay?"

Faye smirked.

"Sure."

Tilly nodded again and moved past the pair in her door. She took a few steps away and then turned back.

"Ed, love," she smiled to the girl. "When I get back, we have to do something about those clothes."

Ed tilted her head, confused, and Faye laughed dryly.

"Good luck," she drawled, and both woman knew it had nothing to do with Ed.

* * *

Spike sat with Jet in the cockpit, rubbing the oil from his hands. 

"Damn it," he muttered. "This was a new shirt!"

"How can you tell?" Jet answered. "It looks just like the last one."

"Funny, Jet," Spike returned. "You're a regular comedian."

"I try," Jet smiled.

"You son of a-"

"Hey Jet," Faye called as she entered the room. "Tilly wants you to open the bay doors."

Spike went still. She was really leaving. Jet felt somber as well and sighed gently. He keyed in the sequence and waited. A second later the Redtail sped past the windows.

"Hey!" Faye shouted. "That's my ship!"

Spike and Jet stared, wide eyed. Slowly, Jet began to chuckle. A second later Spike joined in.

"Shut up," Faye seethed. "This isn't funny!"

Jet and Spike cracked up, Spike holding his sides as Jet threw his head back.

"Shut up!" Faye fumed and sputtered like a cat. Ed watched from the doorway with a grin.

"Go," Jet managed through his laughter. "Get changed."

Spike's laughter eased and he left to shower. Behind him, Faye continued to argue with Jet. Spike ruffled Ed's hair as he passed the kid. Tilly had issued the invitation. How could he not follow?


	19. Titan 4

**DISCLAIMER: I'm not rich, nor do I get to go to conventions. Therefore, Spike and the Bebop are not mine.**

* * *

Tilly landed the Redtail smoothly on the surface. She hated Titan. It smelled of death and ozone, the sand dunes rolling away in all directions like freshly dug graves. She had intentionally landed outside the settlement, five miles from her destination. She needed the time to allow the planet to awaken Anatalia. Tilly couldn't be here. 

A cruel dry wind swept over the desert, sand stinging her face and hands. Her sunglasses protected her eyes, her long tan coat and black slacks protected the rest of her body. The delicate skin of her throat was kept hidden by the red scarf she wore over a thin black sweater and the wind pulled her hair out behind her. She had debated wearing the old outfit.

She and Julia had always dressed to match, with Julia preferring leather to cotton. It was disconcerting for the mark to be unable to distinguish between two attackers. But Tilly was alone now, and she simply felt exposed in the black.

* * *

In the settlement across the dunes, Swift watched her through high-powered army issue binoculars. Her long chestnut curls moves like silk in the wind and her slim figure was shrouded in the clothes of the trade. He had always been partial to grays himself. She moved surely over the sand, a case in each hand, sword strapped to her back. The sheath gleamed in the morning sun at his side. She had come for him too. He had been foolish to think he had completely duped her. Swift should have known the moment Dowe's girl looked into his eyes that she would see all. She would see herself. 

Her name rolled through his mind. Anatalia. She was known by friends as Tilly, he knew, but the nickname didn't match the woman he watched. At last, after years of killing from shadows and a tedious week in the presence of a buffoon, Swift would meet his equal on the field of battle. In another life he might have loved her. In this life he could do no more than show his respect by not holding back.

The rules had changed. Vicious would not get his prize.

* * *

Shae hid in the bathroom. She had come for him, as he had known she would, and suddenly he wanted for courage. He wasn't afraid of the girl, he told himself. He was nervous about that ghost Vicious had sent as backup. 

Shae didn't _need_ backup. He was Dowe, now. The girl was just a nuisance, an irritant. Sand in his shorts.

At the thought of the girl in his shorts, Shae felt the familiar heat spread through his loins. Yeah, that was what he needed. A physical release to relax before the show began. Shae pulled the girl's picture from his pocket and set it against the back of the toilet. Maybe he would try this on the real thing before he killed her. As his hand moved he imagined the girl beneath him, scared and gasping for breath. In his mind's eye she screamed as he pulled the trigger, the gun's kickback meshing with his release. Shae clenched his teeth and the hand bracing him against the wall closed into a fist. He panted and felt no more fear. Let her come. He was ready.

* * *

The Swordfish sped silently through space following the Redtail's signal through the gate. Spike had never come this way before. The stories Vicious had let slip were enough to keep him away, and after meeting Vincent and Elektra, Spike had even less interest in Saturn's deadly moon. 

Stars and space moved past him in a tunnel of light. Spike still had no clue how the damn thing worked, but anything that got him to Tilly faster was welcome. Images of her flashed through his mind: that first morning on the deck, her crying in his arms, pacing on New Bering. The most recent image he had killed the smile that had begun to spread across his face. Tilly cleaning her father's Desert Eagle. The gun he had always admired Dowe for taming. The weapon of choice for a true killer. The weapon he hadn't found in the black trunk before he left.

Spike's eyes darkened and he clenched his jaw. Why the hell did he care? He was supposed to be living for Julia. Surviving to find her, to find himself in her. But blond hair mixed with dark brown and green eyes flashed blue.

"Damn it!" Spike slammed a hand against the dashboard. He had to get a grip, he told himself. Then he laughed.

Who was he kidding? Here he was, speeding after her like a lovesick kid, and he wanted to try and pretend this was something else?

_What about Julia?_

Spike really hated the voice at the back of his mind. His eyes dulled and his expression became grim. What about Julia? Julia.

* * *

"So, do you think she'll come back?" 

Faye was sprawled out on the couch watching Jet and Ed play chess. Ed missed Tilly, and was wearing Tilly's favorite pink blouse to show it. Ein's head rested on Ed's leg and he let out a small whimper now and then. Jet looked up from the board to study Faye's figure. A fleeting thought flashed through his mind that he mentally slapped himself for before answering.

"Yeah, she'll come back. The real question is whether it will be our Tilly, or someone else."

Faye let her head fall to the side and contemplated Jet's words for a moment.

"Here's another question for you. Will Spike still be smitten with her, even if it is our Tilly that comes back?"

Jet stared into Faye's eyes as the full measure of what she meant filtered through. He dropped his eyes to the chessboard in time to see Ed checkmate. He smiled weakly at her shrill of glee.

"I don't know," he answered finally. "But I think things will cool off for a while. She may remind him more of Julia than he'd like, right now."

"Oh yeah," Faye said gently. "I had forgotten she used to be Syndicate, too. History is really repeating itself, huh?"

Jet frowned as the parallels played out before him.

"I wonder if she sees it." Faye continued.

Jet's eyes went wide.

_Tilly._

* * *

Tilly approached the gates of the settlement walls. The old military base had been built like a fortress to battle the sand. The lone entrance stood black against the rusted walls that stretched for miles in either direction. 

Her image shimmered in the heat and swirling sand. She appeared and disappeared through the heat waves like a mirage and his mouth watered for her.

Today he would prove himself and become the only Dowe. Shae would earn his place in the Syndicate and gain the respect he knew he deserved.

From the next room, Swift studied her approach. The girl had worn high-heeled boots, and he was sure they had to be sinking into the sand with every step, but she showed no sign. Her expression was blank, no emotions betrayed themselves. His chin rested on the hilt of his sword, using its length to prop him as he leaned forward in his chair. His gray eyes stared out through strands of pale blonde hair. Anyone looking at the two windows would recognize the killer from the buffoon instantly.

A few buildings over, on a landing pad, Spike was hunched over on top of his ship. He had watched the girl as she drew closer to the gate and felt panic swell in his chest. Sweat dripped down his brow and his heart hurt to see her like this. The images of Tilly and Julia merged more fully in his mind. The only difference was the hair and the coat. Spike looked back to Tilly and focused only on the coat. Tan, not black. His gaze shifted to her hair. Coffee waves dancing in the wind, not blonde curls.

Slowly he took in the rest of her appearance. The clothes were without doubt meant to match. He wondered briefly why, but moved on to the differences. Tilly wore slacks and a black sweater, no leather in sight. At her throat, taunting him, was the scarf. Spike swore under his breath as he looked, at last, at her face. What he saw caused his chest to constrict once more. Nothing. She showed no expression, no signs of life. Tilly wasn't there.

Spike took a deep breath to steady his shaking and switched his own thoughts off. Jumping down from the Swordfish, he quickly made his way to the street. Emerging from the building, he spotted two men up the block. One was short and a little on the meaty side, little brawn and no brains. Next to him was a tall man with white-blonde hair in a steel gray trench. Not Vicious, but a killer nonetheless. Spike followed them at a distance, not bothering to hide himself.

* * *

Tilly stood at the gates and tried to quell her nerves. She had seen the Swordfish streak past overhead, and cursed herself. She had known he would follow when she chose the Redtail, but she hadn't counted on him coming so quickly. She hadn't even taken care of Shae yet. Reworking her plan in her head Tilly moved past the armed guard that opened the gate for her. 

"Identification," he demanded.

Tilly stopped moving and turned her head to face the guard. He flushed under the glare she threw him from behind her dark glasses. Slowly he began to tremble as she stood statue still. When she raised an eyebrow he nearly dropped his rifle.

"Never mind," the poor guard stammered. "Go on in."

Tilly swept past him and moved to the rendezvous point, the place she knew he'd be waiting. Dowe and Tilly had walked this path eight years ago and he had died then. Today Shae's blood would cover the ground. If he kept his mouth shut, she might let him die quickly.

* * *

Tilly walked right past him without realizing. Spike watched her body, its language and movement. She moved like a cat or a snake. Deliberately and smoothly, no move wasted, no unnecessary energy lost. The normal feminine sway of her hips was almost gone beneath the weight of her weapons. 

Julia's image fled in the face of the assassin before him. Julia had never been able to shut off her emotions, and as such had been a competent agent for the Syndicate, but never a true assassin. Dowe, for all that he could be ruthless, had remained human. Even Vicious had cracked a smile when he and Spike had been back to back against overwhelming odds.

Tilly wasn't there. This woman was someone else.

She moved into the center of the clearing, surrounded by tall buildings all bathed in a red and gray light. She looked oddly comfortable there, out in the open lot. Laughter reverberated, echoing in the suddenly still air.

"Glad to see you could make it," Shae called from his hiding place. Swift had pointed out the stranger following them and Shae had watched him study the girl like a hungry man when she walked past him.

Tilly stood silent, unmoving. Shae would have to come to her. She would take the men one at a time. Spike was here somewhere, but she couldn't look for him now. She had to ignore his presence and focus on Shae. First Shae, then Swift.

She tilted her head at a slight movement in the corner of her eye. Swift. She ignored him and faced forward once more, her eyes scanning the derelict cars and buildings before her for Shae. Slowly she bent her knees and set her cases on the ground. As she straightened her posture she pulled the scarf loose around her neck. The wind returned to billow the red silk along with her hair.

Swift watched her as she waited. Beautiful and deadly. He recognized the scarf. Slowly the material pulled along her throat to float away, dancing on the wind. It landed a few feet away from him, but he stayed put as she ignored it. Shae swaggered out from the building farthest from Swift's location and moved out to face Tilly at last. Swift narrowed his eyes at the man's stupidity. Surely he realized he was no match for the girl.

Spike watched from the shadows as Tilly stood ramrod still in the face of the fat man. Spike was surprised she was here for this guy. He would have bet the other guy was the one.

Shae studied her face and body. The picture hadn't done her justice, and she had definitely grown up. He felt his pants tighten as the heat began to spread through his belly. With a smirk he moved the last few feet for their showdown.

Tilly let her hatred for Shae show in a single clench of her jaw before she tamped down all emotion once again. There would be time to feel later. Now it was time to kill.


	20. Desperado 5

**DISCLAIMER: Blah, blah, yakkety yak. You know what I'm supposed to say. I have to say that I will be on a VERY short hiatus from Bebop. You probably won't notice since I generally take a break after an episode, but I'm two chapters from finishing my Supernatural story, and I don't want to lose the flow there. :-D**

**Oh, yeah... I loved the film Snatch, so... yeah. Those who've seen the movie will understand.**

* * *

"I wondered when you'd show up," Shae barked. "You're no match for me little girl." 

"Is that why you need Swift Campbell here?" Her voice was deep and flat. There was no heat in her taunt, and that made Shae angry. She didn't think him worth the effort, and he knew it.

"Who's your friend there, I wonder?" he answered petulantly. "Didn't think you could take me alone?"

"He's of no concern," Tilly said calmly. Shae spat and pointed past Tilly to the shadows.

"You just make sure he stays out of my way," he sneered.

Tilly quirked an eyebrow. Before Shae could move Tilly stepped forward and her Desert Eagle blew out the back of his head. His body slowly followed the grey and red mess that used to be his brain to the ground, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"Done," she said smoothly.

Tilly's head angled toward Swift who stared in shock. He had expected ruthless and efficient. Her cold-blooded manner struck fear into him. This girl made him afraid.

Spike's eyes felt ready to burst from his skull. His mind screamed incoherently and he felt numb. He watched as she slowly holstered the gun and removed her sword. Tilly peeled off her long coat and threw it to one side, letting it land near Spike's feet.

Both men stared as the full array of weaponry strapped to her small body was laid bare. Replacement clips for her Desert Eagles, yes one on each thigh, ran down her back. Beneath each arm, in the curve of her waist, was a smaller gun. A third semi-automatic was nestled in the small of her back and two daggers were strapped to her forearms, running the full length with their tips ending just before her elbows.

Swift pulled his trench off, revealing broad shoulders in a black and grey service sweater, shoulders and elbows reinforced. His sword's scabbard reflected the red light against its shining black surface, strapped to his back. Angled across his torso was a bandolier of replacement mags for his own semi-automatic pistols. He had a single dagger strapped to his thigh, giving away his strong side.

The pair squared off and Tilly hung her sword across her back, securing the strap against her chest. She pulled off her sunglasses and threw them toward her coat, letting Swift see her eyes for the first time. They were cold and dead, gray as the sky above their heads. Spike watched, amazed at the lifeless executioner Tilly had become.

As one, Tilly and Swift moved, pulling both sidearms to fire. Spike stepped back as ricochet struck the cement around him. In a matter of seconds they had emptied their guns and reloaded. Each moved form their respective cover to meet in the center.

Dodging bullets in the air and debris along the ground, Tilly deflected a too close shot with the broad side of her gun and fired two more shots while pulling Shae's corpse up as a shield. Swift dropped an empty cartridge and continued firing as he reloaded. Three rounds went into Shae before one went through to graze Tilly's side. With a yell of pain she pushed the body from her and jump-kicked it forward to crash into Swift, buying herself time to reload.

Swift shoved the fat carcass off his chest and rolled away from a straight line of fire that followed him behind a car, the last round catching his buttock. He grunted and swore loudly.

"I really am a pain in the ass," Tilly called from behind her own derelict vehicle. "Didn't Vicious tell you?" She was out of cartridges for her Eagles, and only had half a load in one pistol, the other was empty. She wasn't about to risk moving for her cases, so she holstered the empty and pulled out one of her nines.

"You should know I didn't want this," Swift returned. "If it was up to me I'd just buy you a drink." He was in bad shape. He only had one clip left, and both guns were half-empty.

From his hiding place, Spike clenched his jaw, hands fisted tightly. _That bastard._

"If it were up to me, I'd let you," Tilly said gently, her real self breaking through. "In another life." The assassin returned. Swift closed his eyes for a moment, relishing her words for a brief second, then came out firing.

Tilly returned the hail of fire and moved from behind the car, walking toward her cases. With a well practiced hit, she popped the case open and dropped her empty Eagle as a slim-line machine gun of her father's design flew up. She threw the empty nine away and grabbed the flat Tommy gun, blasting away.

Swift's eyes went wide at the sight of a gun rising three feet in the air to Tilly's hands and dove for cover behind another car as she let into the one he had just been behind. It burst into a ball of fire as she continued to fire at him, bending to one knee to open the other case.

Taking a chance he fired when her head was bent. She looked up quickly and threw up one arm to block the bullet, letting it ricochet off the blade there to rip across her forearm and shoulder, whizzing past her ear. At the same time she fired again, emptying the Tommy.

_Shit,_ he thought. _I'm screwed._

He looked up to see Spike watching the fight from his alcove. Their eyes met and each man realized that they had seriously underestimated the lethality of this girl.

Silence fell and Swift slowly looked over the hood only to duck as a bullet struck right where his head was.

"Bitch," he muttered.

She had a small rocket launcher. She had a rocket launcher. She had a rocket launcher aimed at him.

As the thought sank in and registered Swift swore loudly and dove away from the car. As he hit the ground and rolled into the alcove with Spike the car behind him exploded, raining fiery chunks of metal and cloth interior across the lot.

"Friend of yours?" Swift muttered as a hello.

Spike grunted a dry laugh.

"Spike Spiegel, right?"

"Yeah, but I suggest you worry about her for now."

Both men peeked around the edge of the alcove. Through the burning wasteland of debris they saw Tilly, katana in hand, waiting. Swift met her eyes.

_Yes, _he answered her gaze. _That's how I want it, too._

Swift holstered his empty guns and unsheathed his own sword, leaving the scabbard with Spike. He moved out to meet her, stopping when only five feet separated them.

She thumbed her blade past its catch and swung it up before her eyes. Slowly she pulled the blade from its protective sheath and pulled her arms wide at her sides. She liked to use her sheath as a second weapon, saving the blade as a last resort.

She blinked slowly, signaling him to move first, and Swift accepted the invitation with lightening speed. She moved quickly, blocking his attacks with alacrity. They were both tired and hurting, but Swift pushed through his pain. Tilly ignored hers, focusing on Swift's moves and anticipating his attacks.

He was losing, Spike realized. He had heard vague rumors of the man who had taken over for Lin, and he had been highly spoken of. Yet he was losing to a girl who moaned daily about being rusty when they would spar. Her scream brought him back from his reverie.

Tilly stared at the slash across her hip where Swift had sliced her with his dagger. She looked at the stub of wood in her left hand and the to the dagger in his, its tip painted scarlet.

She narrowed her eyes and slowly unbuckled the holster for her clips and nines. It clattered to the ground and she pulled the nine from her back, tossing it to one side as well. Then she unbuckled the dagger from her right arm and threw it away, leaving an inaccessible dagger on her left arm and her katana.

Swift hadn't thought it possible, but she grew colder. He felt the chill run up his spine at the sight of her icy gaze. She pulled her sword before her to the ready position and Swift dropped his dagger, using both hands to angle his blade.

Tilly sprang with no warning and he barely had time to block her. She struck like a flash, her blade seeming to be everywhere at once. He felt the edge bite his arms and backed away quickly. He fought to control the swing of her blade, but she found the hole.

All movement ceased as her blade buried itself in his heart. His katana clattered against the pavement, the sound ringing in an echo across the lot over the dull roar of the two automotive bonfires that still burned.

Through the waves of smoke and heat Spike watched Tilly ease Swift to the ground.

She was back, Swift realized as Tilly cradled him in her lap. Her sorrow was there for him to see.

"I didn't want this," she whispered. Swift smiled.

Through the pain he reached up to bury his fingers in her hair and pulled her down to him. The last thing he felt was her lips against his, responding to his demand, and her hot tears on his cheeks. Then blackness took him.

She knew he was gone as she raised her head. His hand fell through her curls and Tilly caught it, lowering it gently to his chest. She raised her gaze from Swift's face and looked through her own ring of hell to meet Spike's eyes. His expression was blank, neither blaming her nor offering any comfort.

She looked back down to Swift and carefully eased him from her lap onto the ground. When she stood, Spike was before her, Swift's sheath in hand. Tilly took it and placed her own blade snugly inside the ebony wood. Silently she gathered her discarded weapons and her coat. She retrieved the scarf and tied it to Swift's blade, then left.

Spike had dropped Tilly at the Redtail and then waited to follow her back to the Bebop. They had been silent, neither knowing what to say. Nothing beyond basic flight coordinates was communicated.

As they approached the familiar hulk of the Bebop, Spike called in for the bay doors to open. Tilly and Spike landed their respective ships and powered down.

Jet and Faye walked up to meet the ships as Ed an Ein peeked around the doorway. Tilly climbed down and tossed Faye a datapad, ignoring the caustic remarks the older woman threw her.

"What's this?" Faye asked, perplexed.

"The contact info for the money. Will you go get it?"

Faye realized this was Tilly's apology for taking her ship. Without a word Faye moved to refuel the Redtail for her trip to Callisto. Spike silently left the hangar and Tilly followed him with her eyes. She sighed heavily and moved toward the door, cases in hand.

"Need any patching up?" Jet ventured. Tilly threw him a wry smile, but her eyes held thanks and appreciation. Jet smiled warmly and reached for her cases. "Lead the way."

Later that night a very tired Tilly stood in the cockpit in a tank top and a pilfered pair of Spike's boxers. They were the only clothes she had that wouldn't aggravate her multiple bandaged wounds.

"Seems like you keep taking my clothes."

Tilly spun to face Spike. She held her breath as she met his gaze. His skin glistened in the dim light and his damp hair hung down in his face, clinging to his cheeks and neck. Tilly felt her heart leap involuntarily at the sight and she slowly inhaled.

"They look good on you."

He wasn't entirely sure what he was saying. He didn't know how to tell her that he didn't think she was a monster. Everything he could think of sounded… inadequate. She looked so fragile before him. Her hair was in two braids that hung long down her torso and her signature curls had worked themselves free to frame her face. She looked the complete opposite from her appearance that afternoon. She now seemed delicate and soft, and part of him longed to hold her, tried to pull his body to her.

"You scared the hell out of me today."

Pain flashed through her eyes and she turned away. Spike swore under his breath and crossed the small space to stand behind her.

"That's not what I meant. I meant I was scared for you. Never do that again."

And in a move totally unlike himself, Spike reached one hand across her stomach to rest on the uninjured hip, and crossed the other one over her shoulders, pulling Tilly's small body into his chest. He dropped his face into the crook of her neck and inhaled her as she relaxed into him.

They both knew that tomorrow they would go back to sparring constantly. But for this moment, Tilly needed to be reminded that she was human, and Spike had to hold her and comfort her. He had to protect her, even from herself.

Tilly turned and nuzzled her face against Spike's chest as the tears began to fall. His grip on her tightened as she cried, her body shaking.

From the doorway Jet silently watched the pair with a frown. They were closer than he had ever seen them, but the ghost of Julia seemed to hover over them. Quietly he turned and walked away, leaving Spike holding Tilly in the darkness. Beyond them stars shone coldly in the black of space and a single comet shot through the sky.

_**See you later Space Cowboy…**_


	21. Song Sung Blue 1

**DISCLAIMER: You know what I'm supposed to say. I want to apologize for my short hiatus taking almost two months, but the story refused to work the way I wanted it to. It was supposed to be heavy on Jet and light on angst. Yeah, right. Anyway, the juices are flowing and I'm even managing to keep up with my Supernatural story. Huzzah. ;p**

* * *

Spike stared at the ceiling fan, attempting to follow a single blade in its revolutions with his eyes. He reached up slowly, inhaling a long drag, and pulled the cigarette from his mouth to ash into the tray on the floor and stub out. He blew a long lazy train of smoke rings up toward the fan, watching the donuts scatter into nothing as they were cut by the blades. 

He had to pee. More than that, he had to take a dump and _she_ was preventing that. Somehow, Tilly had talked Faye and Ed into a "makeover day" whatever the hell that was, and had sent Jet to the store for some "essentials." Spike's bowels felt about ready to explode, and it was just cruel and inhuman for the girls to keep him out of the lone working bathroom on the entire ship. Why the hell Jet had gone along with this, Spike would never know. Apparently, the girls needed all sorts of hair dye, makeup and clothes. What was Jet doing buying clothes? And why had they sent Jet? Couldn't hey have gone shopping themselves?

"Shit," Spike grumbled, fearing he would. He stood up, determined to try his luck once more. If they didn't cooperate, he just might start cracking skulls.

. .>. .>. .>

Jet stared in dismay at the list. How could she?

"Damn that Tilly," he grumbled, blushing.

_Tampons_.

She actually expected him to buy tampons. Not only had he looked like a pervert in the lingerie store getting a training bra and a sports bra, not to mention the eight pair of panties, but now he was expected to buy tampons. Tilly's elegant scrawl glared up from the page.

_Smooth glide, ultra absorbency, petite for teens. _

How dare she! And who knew they came in something other than- whatever it was they came in. Jet shuddered. Spike had no idea how lucky he was getting to stay behind on the ship. Jet looked around the small convenience store at the other patrons. A strangely mismatched couple, she was punk while he looked very conservative, a few teenagers over by a video game, an old lady squeezing every piece of fruit and another comparing prices on canned milk, a businessman studying the bottles of wine while eyeing the store clerk, and the clerk, a pretty girl with her nose buried in a textbook.

Jet grit his teeth, grabbed the teal box with pink flowers, and stuffed it into the basket on his arm. He moved on to the candy aisle and frowned in dismay at the list once more.

_Chocolate covered cherries. _

_Milk chocolate chips. _

_Brownies. _

_Reisens. _

_Chocolate covered caramels._

What the hell is all this? All three of them couldn't be going at the same time could they? Oh, God.

"If they are I quit. That's it. No more." Jet shook his head and tossed the assorted candies into the basket along with a couple of things for him and Spike. The next aisle was hair care products and Jet was grateful Tilly had taken the time to write down exactly what they needed, quantities and all.

_Two boxes 'back to basics', Natural Oils. _

_One box 'hot coffee', Natural Oils. _

_Three boxes 'honeyed wheat', Bombshell Inc. _

_One box 'midnight ink', Ravage Colors._

Jet double-checked the list to make sure nothing was missing and moved on to get the actual groceries they would all need to survive until the next bounty before making his way to the counter, curious about who was going blonde.

. .>. .>. .>

"Are you sure you really want to do this?"

Tilly looked up from French-braiding Ed's hair to meet Faye's gaze. Truth be told, Tilly wasn't sure about anything, but she had no choice. The vid-mail from Callisto had been the first word she'd had from Julia in over three years, a year after Tilly's disappearing act and Spike's "death." Now they had a job. A job for Vicious, and Tilly knew that Julia would never dare take her in to him. She herself had too much to lose if Vicious got his hands on Tilly again.

"I'd rather not, but it's how we work." Tilly returned to braiding Ed's hair. "It loses some of its effect if my hair is too dark."

"Spike will freak."

"I leave in the morning. He'll never see it," she shrugged tying off the end of one short braid.

Tilly physically turned Ed so she could make an identical braid down the other side of the girl's scalp. Poor Jet was buying everything Ed would need now that her body had finally chosen to assert itself as female, and Tilly had wanted to make sure that she was there for Ed. She also hadn't dared trust Faye with that much money alone. Spike would have said hell no, so that had left Jet.

"Are you sure you don't mind me taking the Redtail?" Tilly asked for the sixth or seventh time. Faye grinned and lit a cigarette.

"It'll be worth it when he finds out you've left again. He's hilarious when you're gone."

If Faye were truly honest, Faye wanted Tilly gone as much as Spike wanted her to stay. She had seen the pair growing closer, some unspoken intimacy revealing itself in their interactions. Faye bristled every time Spike held his hand out to indicate Tilly's place with him in the Swordfish when the group left for a bounty, and she fumed whenever they left to hunt a mark on their own. On the other hand, she laughed every time Spike got jealous over Tilly's flirting for information, and she encouraged Tilly's confidence in the hopes of getting something she could use to shatter Spike's growing trust in the girl. It was petty and beneath her, but Faye wanted to be the only belle at this ball, and Tilly was in the way.

Tilly knew what was going on. Faye was clever, but Tilly had been raised in a darker world than even Faye, for all her con work, could ever know. But Tilly needed an ally, even one with a knife poised at her own back, and Faye would have to do. But today was about Ed, and that took precedence. The convenience of getting ready for her next job was a coincidence.

With Ed's hair braided, Tilly handed the poor girl the last piece of chocolate from the box of assorted candies that O'Mara had sent from prison last month.

"Ed feels woozy. Tummy bad."

Ed swallowed the candy, barely chewing, and melted into Tilly's lap with a pitiful moan. Faye and Tilly exchanged a smile and cooed over the poor teenager.

"I'll go make some tea," Tilly said, petting Ed's head. "Can you keep her company?"

"Sure thing," Faye nodded. "I wish someone had done this for me at her age."

Tilly smiled and set a pillow under Ed's head before standing to leave. She left the bathroom, closing the door behind her, and took two steps straight into a now very familiar wall of muscle.

"Sorry Spike, excuse me."

"Hey," he stopped her. "I need in there. When do I get a turn?"

Tilly looked up into Spike's eyes and tried to ignore the disturbing flutter in her pulse.

"Not today," she shook her head. "You'll need to go to town."

"I'm not leaving the ship just to-" Spike stopped himself. "Just to use a bathroom."

Tilly tilted her head and regarded the bounty hunter, amused. Had it been Faye or Jet, Tilly had no doubt he'd have never cleaned up his language, yet he'd deliberately changed what he'd been about to say. Unwilling to reflect on his reasons, Tilly smiled sympathetically.

"I'm sorry, but I did warn you this morning that we were taking over the bathroom for the whole day. Unfortunately, something unexpected has happened and girls' day has become a necessity."

Spike's eyes flashed with anger and he narrowed his gaze, taking a step forward to tower over Tilly.

"I need to piss. I _need_ to get in there. You have five minutes to clear them out."

"Ed's bleeding and too small for anything Faye or I use," Tilly stepped up on her toes to meet Spike's eyes more evenly, and was rewarded with the horrified look that spread across Spike's face. "Now, I'm trying to be nice, but it's her first day and she's not feeling well. Use a bucket or go over the side of the deck. I don't care. Boys are off limits for the day."

Spike's expression went cold and Tilly knew it was on.

"I'm gonna get in there, and you can't stop me."

"Watch me," she smiled coldly. Tilly turned then and continued toward the kitchen to make Ed some tea.

. .>. .>. .>

In a dark room in a cold apartment in a small town on the god-forsaken planet of Callisto, Julia sat staring at three photographs. Moonlight streamed in through the windows, illuminating the pictures and accentuating the cold atmosphere of the planet. In one photograph Julia, Vicious and Spike sat, Spike smiling and Vicious staring at Julia with Dowe's kitchen in the background. In another, Julia and Tilly were dressed and prepping their guns for a job. With their matching clothes and almost identical hair, the two were hard to tell apart. Only Tilly's tan coat had separated the two in their victims' eyes. Why Tilly had insisted on wearing the coat Julia had never figured out, but she had been adamant in her refusal to wear all black.

The third photo held the least interest for Julia, and in a way, she felt guilty about that. It was Tilly again, but her hair was dark, its natural color, and she sat on the grass in a park with two small children in her lap. The boy had pale blonde hair and the girl had dark hair that held odd green tints in its highlights. They both had their mother's eyes. Her eyes. Julia's eyes. Julia's children.

Julia shuddered. It was easier to think of them as Tilly's and not hers. She didn't want them. Even when she loved their fathers, she didn't want the children. Children did not factor into her life, but Tilly had taken to them. Tilly was marvelously domestic, and Julia had known the day she realized she was pregnant that nobody else could possibly be their mother. Tilly would kill for them. Tilly would die for them. Julia didn't care.

Beneath the photos lay the letter from Vicious. Shae was dead, good riddance. Swift was dead, a damn shame. Julia wondered fleetingly if Tilly had been attracted to the assassin. He seemed her type. But with their failure, Vicious had decided to bring in Julia.

She thought it was sick and rather disturbing that he was so focused on the girl that he had forgotten he was also searching for _her_. When his men had appeared, Julia had been ready to run for it, but the letter had been all he wanted delivered to her, nothing more. Strange that when he wanted to find her he couldn't, but when he wanted Tilly he knew right where Julia was. A stab of jealousy shot through her at the realization that Vicious could have probably taken her at any time and hadn't. There would be no such courtesy or restraint for Tilly. Tilly he _would_ take.

But first, they had a job to do, Tilly and Julia. Something that should have been done right the first time. And then Julia would kill her. Tilly, she had decided, would have to die so Julia could resume her place in the game. _She_ belonged first in their minds, not the little kid who used to tag along on recon jobs. _Julia_ was the reason for the game. _Her_.


End file.
